Pagbantay sa mga langyaw! (beware of foreigners)

The picture above was taken from the ‘Philippinen Handbuch’, an extensive German guide to the Philippines. Sad but true the warning in the drawing is hardly exaggerated, certainly in Manila. But apart from that, the picture also gives a wonderful insight into cultural stereotypes. Look at the relative height of the different people in the drawing, for instance. Admittedly, Westerners tend to be taller than Filipinos, but this really looks like David meeting Goliath, no? The white man dominates the picture being almost twice the size of the Filipino. In order of importance, the other figures become smaller as they are presumed to have less power. The mother and her children are merely bystanders, the smallest of course being the little girl. Money and gifts change hands as the white man uses his wealth to get what he desires (it’s almost metaphorical for the West’s relationship with developing countries, and it’s clear where the power lies). Also note the size of the white man’s nose – having a big nose is exemplary of being foreign to Filipinos. Above all, the print draws a gloomy picture of one of the darkest sides of foreign presence in the Philippines… And yet there is something strangely comical about this drawing, no?