via AFP, South China Morning Post, 01 August 2019: Why is Baybayin, the ancient script of the Philippines, making a comeback?
Once confined to history classes, an indigenous script used before Spanish colonisation, is making a comeback among the Philippines’ millennials, young professionals and diaspora.
Online clips of calligraphy and digital fonts for Baybayin – a 17-character indigenous script last used hundreds of years ago – have gripped the digital generation and now it is appearing on everything from tattoos and T-shirts to mobile apps.
Proponents hail the curvilinear text as a crucial part of Philippine identity, but in a country with 131 government-recognised languages, critics say investing in the promotion of one ancient text over others is controversial and impractical.
