PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN BERLIN COMMEMORATES NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH WITH PARA KAY JUANA EXHIBIT
From L-R: Ban Ying Coordinator Babette Rohner, Minister Mary Luck Hicarte, Yolanda Richter, Ambassador-designate Irene Susan Natividad, the artist Krisanta Caguioa-Mönnich, Maria Nueva Scharmentke, Jona Castañeda Maywald
BERLIN, 18 March 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Berlin opened “Para kay Juana: Mga Kwento at Larawang Migrante sa Alemanya,” an exhibition of paintings of women migrants in Germany, and depicts the intersectionality of migration and gender. The exhibit features the works of Krisanta Caguioa-Mönnich, a Filipina social worker specializing in cases of human trafficking and violence against women.
The exhibit opening was the first event with the Filipino community of Ambassador-designate Irene Susan B. Natividad. In her opening remarks, Ambassador Natividad emphasized that the portraits “remind us that despite the hardships, migrant women are not helpless, but strong individuals who have the power to shape their own destinies.”
L to R: The Artist delivers the rationale and soul of her art; Jona tells her story to the audience
Three women – Jona, Yoly, and Maria – who were some of Caguioa-Moennich’s subjects in her paintings, shared their stories and experiences with the audience and offered their insights into the challenges they have faced in their lives, as well as their triumphs.
The program incorporated the “human library” concept, where the speakers acted as books that the audience can “borrow” and interact with to draw out their stories. This allowed the visitors to connect with the subject and the artwork on a deeper level.
This exhibit will run until 31 March at the Embassy of the Philippines in Germany, located at Luisenstrasse 16, 10117 Berlin. (END)
