A comic book about Labour + LOVE
Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love is a community based comic book project, created by Toronto-based artists Althea Balmes (Illustrator) and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo (Writer) in close collaboration with caregivers and supporters, about the real life stories of Filipina migrant workers in the Live-in Caregiver Program.
The comic book is meant to be an accessible resource to highlight the realities caregivers experience. These are stories of community and friendship, love and struggle, and women's empowerment. These are the stories that rarely make mainstream media or academic research.
Why is the comic book named, Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love?
In the Filipino language, Kwentong Bayan is the literal translation of “community stories”; and Labour of Love reflects our understanding that community-based artwork and caregiving work is rooted in love, is valuable, and deserves respect.
When can we read the comic?
We will publish a 10-page mini-comic as part of an anthology produced by the Graphic History Collective in 2014-2015. Our full-length comic book is currently under production.
The comic book is meant to be an accessible resource to highlight the realities caregivers experience. These are stories of community and friendship, love and struggle, and women's empowerment. These are the stories that rarely make mainstream media or academic research.
Why is the comic book named, Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love?
In the Filipino language, Kwentong Bayan is the literal translation of “community stories”; and Labour of Love reflects our understanding that community-based artwork and caregiving work is rooted in love, is valuable, and deserves respect.
When can we read the comic?
We will publish a 10-page mini-comic as part of an anthology produced by the Graphic History Collective in 2014-2015. Our full-length comic book is currently under production.
our project
"What we're trying to do is document the lives of Filipino live-in caregivers but in a more positive way. So we're talking about how they're resisting the exploitative structure of the LCP [Live-in Caregiver Program], and also how they create community while all of these struggles are going on."
- Althea Balmes, Illustrator for Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love
- Althea Balmes, Illustrator for Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love
our intentions
Reading numerous articles, research studies, and stats on the Live-in Caregiver Program, can leave one heavy with sadness, cynicism, and disillusionment. Our illustrating and writing team supports each other by meeting once a week to put the experts and academics aside, get out of our heads, and make something.
We understand that our work in the community and in collaboration with caregivers is rooted in love. And we have agreed to include our own process of breaking open to what we discover.
In her memoir, "The Lessons of Love" Melody Beattie writes about how she came to terms with the tragic death of her 12-year old son. When she described her memoir to people, they would often implore, “Not a doom-and-gloom book!”
“No," she would respond. "It's a love story. Not about the fluffy kind of love. About the raw kind. The kind that makes us grow, change, expand, and move on. It’s a real-life love story. Writing it has become a profound experience. Writing this book forces me to embrace the ideas I’m writing about. I must come fully alive, care about life, heal my own soul, for creativity is life-giving and demands that of us. To write this book, I must make the same shift in my writing that I’ve made in my life, that of moving from my head to my heart.”
Thank you for caring about these kwentong bayan, these community stories. We are honoured to share this journey with you: from head to heart. - A&J
We understand that our work in the community and in collaboration with caregivers is rooted in love. And we have agreed to include our own process of breaking open to what we discover.
In her memoir, "The Lessons of Love" Melody Beattie writes about how she came to terms with the tragic death of her 12-year old son. When she described her memoir to people, they would often implore, “Not a doom-and-gloom book!”
“No," she would respond. "It's a love story. Not about the fluffy kind of love. About the raw kind. The kind that makes us grow, change, expand, and move on. It’s a real-life love story. Writing it has become a profound experience. Writing this book forces me to embrace the ideas I’m writing about. I must come fully alive, care about life, heal my own soul, for creativity is life-giving and demands that of us. To write this book, I must make the same shift in my writing that I’ve made in my life, that of moving from my head to my heart.”
Thank you for caring about these kwentong bayan, these community stories. We are honoured to share this journey with you: from head to heart. - A&J
our working process
click image to zoom
There is a stigma towards Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada. What we’re trying to do with our comic book is to challenge those stereotypes about migrant workers in general, and Filipina Live-in Caregivers, in particular.
This image demonstrates our creative process:
"We wanted to create an illustration for our Mayworks presentation in honour of the lives and labour of Live-in Caregivers. Althea had the idea of creating an illustration of a Filipina woman pushing a stroller with a white baby in it. Then Jo asked, “Do you think we would be celebrating Filipinas or fulfilling a stereotype?”
That conversation lead to the title: "I've been told that this is a stereotype. A lone Filipina strolling with a white baby."
And this led to the second title: "But they forgot the other part of the picture..." and the illustration of the Filipina caregiver joining her friends on a protest march.
They are holding a banner that says, "Caregivers are Skilled Workers". This was inspired by the caregivers we met at International Women’s Day 2013 who were advocating for Landed Status, Respect and Dignity.
This is our process. This is the way we create our comics. We talk with people in the community and reflect with each other as an illustrating and writing team and bring the work back to the community for more dialogue.
These are the stories you will read in Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love."
- from our May 12, 2013 Artist Talk presented by the Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts at the AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario.
This image demonstrates our creative process:
"We wanted to create an illustration for our Mayworks presentation in honour of the lives and labour of Live-in Caregivers. Althea had the idea of creating an illustration of a Filipina woman pushing a stroller with a white baby in it. Then Jo asked, “Do you think we would be celebrating Filipinas or fulfilling a stereotype?”
That conversation lead to the title: "I've been told that this is a stereotype. A lone Filipina strolling with a white baby."
And this led to the second title: "But they forgot the other part of the picture..." and the illustration of the Filipina caregiver joining her friends on a protest march.
They are holding a banner that says, "Caregivers are Skilled Workers". This was inspired by the caregivers we met at International Women’s Day 2013 who were advocating for Landed Status, Respect and Dignity.
This is our process. This is the way we create our comics. We talk with people in the community and reflect with each other as an illustrating and writing team and bring the work back to the community for more dialogue.
These are the stories you will read in Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love."
- from our May 12, 2013 Artist Talk presented by the Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts at the AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario.
sketchbook: Super Nanny
click to zoom
We have been able to learn more about the LCP with the support of Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization (CCESO) - a group of dedicated and caring volunteers serving caregivers and newcomers in Toronto.
This is a sneak peek at our process journal as we reflect together on race, class and gender.
This is a sneak peek at our process journal as we reflect together on race, class and gender.
Celebrating Mother's Day / Caregiver's Day
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Illustration made for guests of our Mayworks event on Mother's Day 2013:
"To all caregivers on this Mother’s Day who care for our elders, our children, and the environment, we honour your labour. May you be surrounded by love."
Althea & Jo
Illustrating & Writing Team
Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love
"To all caregivers on this Mother’s Day who care for our elders, our children, and the environment, we honour your labour. May you be surrounded by love."
Althea & Jo
Illustrating & Writing Team
Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love
Excerpt from Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love
This is an example of a comic panel and accompanying script that we created in response to the Al Jazeera report, "The Misery of Migrant Workers", LINK: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2012/12/20121217981786357.html
PANEL 1: Althea talks about our history of migration and the reality faced by the nearly 4,000 Filipinos who leave the Philippines every day to work abroad.
SCENE: Overlapping image of a jumbo jet above the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. The airplane is tethered to the ground by a “human rope” of OFWs. The plane is so full that the tail end dips and people ride on top clutching luggage. Masses await their turn on the ground. CAPTION: *OFWs are Overseas Foreign Workers
PANEL 2: Althea and Jo take a moment to let this reality sink in.
Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love - a community comic book by Althea Balmes (Illustrator) and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo (Writer) created in collaboration with Live-in Caregivers. Copyright © 2013 www.lcpcomicbook.com
PANEL 1: Althea talks about our history of migration and the reality faced by the nearly 4,000 Filipinos who leave the Philippines every day to work abroad.
SCENE: Overlapping image of a jumbo jet above the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. The airplane is tethered to the ground by a “human rope” of OFWs. The plane is so full that the tail end dips and people ride on top clutching luggage. Masses await their turn on the ground. CAPTION: *OFWs are Overseas Foreign Workers
PANEL 2: Althea and Jo take a moment to let this reality sink in.
Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love - a community comic book by Althea Balmes (Illustrator) and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo (Writer) created in collaboration with Live-in Caregivers. Copyright © 2013 www.lcpcomicbook.com
Graphic History Project - Online Publication
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Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love has been selected to be a part of the Graphic History Project presented by the Graphic History Collective (GHC).
The GHC is supporting Althea and Jo to illustrate and write a 10 page mini-comic about the history of the Live-in Caregiver program and its impact on the lives of Filipina caregivers. A collection of 20 comic book projects that explore radical graphic histories will be launched online in 2014-2015.
The Graphic History Collective produced the comic book, May Day: A Graphic History of Protest, a historical account of May Day in Canada. Thank you to Julia Smith, Paul Buhle, and the Graphic History Collective for supporting Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love.
The GHC is supporting Althea and Jo to illustrate and write a 10 page mini-comic about the history of the Live-in Caregiver program and its impact on the lives of Filipina caregivers. A collection of 20 comic book projects that explore radical graphic histories will be launched online in 2014-2015.
The Graphic History Collective produced the comic book, May Day: A Graphic History of Protest, a historical account of May Day in Canada. Thank you to Julia Smith, Paul Buhle, and the Graphic History Collective for supporting Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love.
