Maranao manuscripts to be digitized as part of Marawi restoration
“THERE IS a loss (during the Marawi siege) that cannot be accounted for, and it is the heirloom of the Maranao families.” Thus said Engr. Marites K. Maguindra, director of the Bureau on Cultural Heritage-Autonomous Region and Muslim Mindanao (BCH-ARMM), on Saturday as the agency signed an agreement for digitalizing 17th to 20th century Maranao Jawi manuscripts. The ARMM government said the project between BCH-ARMM and the Grupo Kalilangan, Inc. aims to preserve cultural treasures by making digital copies of Jawi and Kirim manuscripts of genealogies (tarsilah) of prominent families, religious books (kitab) and treatises, and epics and short stories that highlight the history of Maranao people. Grupo Kalilangan President Joel Lucky Aldor said the endeavor was conceived because of last year’s siege, and forms part the overall restoration and rehabilitation work for the Islamic City of Marawi. The digital copies are seen to give the Maranao people better awareness and appreciation of their heritage, as well as easier access for researchers and scholars. — Mindanao Bureau
