You too can be part of this movement by making your own #Tumindig icon.
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They say every movement begins with a spark of hope. All this clamor for change needs is just one match to light up the endless darkness, leading to an inevitable protest where thousands join. It’s something we see a lot in online protests, especially during the last year. This is also something that happened recently thanks to a single artwork by animation director and satirical graphic artist Kevin Eric Raymundo, who you may know as Tarantadong Kalbo on social media.
On July 17, he posted an image of a standing glowing fist surrounded by similar figures who are bowing. The caption? “Tumindig.” The fist, of course, is the signature pose of President Duterte and his supporters. The artwork though symbolizes dissent and that the raised fist won’t be a blind follower like the bowing fists and making a stand (tindig). This isn’t the first satirical artwork the 34-year old artist has made though. A quick scroll through his social media pages shows multiple satirical artworks that call out accountability for government incompetence.
#TUMINDIG
The artwork went viral as more artists, activists, and personalities participated in drawing their own #Tumindig figures and joining Tarantadong Kalbo in solidarity and protest. According to Raymundo, he drew the artwork to encapsulate his feelings as an artist and activist in today’s climate, specifically under President Duterte and the Anti-Terror Law. He initially didn’t plan on making this something people can join as there wasn’t an outright call to action.
As the artwork went viral, people organically started making their own raised fist figures. Artists Kapitan Tambay Hulyen, Rob Cham, and Cartoonist Zach were some of the first to join before artists from all over the internet joined in. Everyone else got in on the action and made their own take on #Tumindig fists.
Raymundo shared a follow-up to his original post that shows 73 dissenting Filipino artists from diverse backgrounds raising their fists in defiance through their own unique way and advocacy. Each avatar can be seen either donning their advocacies or carrying placards. The caption reads: “Artista ng Bayan, Ngayon ay Lumalaban!”
Artista ng Bayan, Ngayon ay Lumalaban! ✊?✊?✊?✊✊?#Tumindig https://t.co/Vc5Pq8gVv9 pic.twitter.com/5NlOSMpMyI
— Tarantadong Kalbo (@KevinKalbo) July 21, 2021
He also thanked everyone who joined and supported the movement with new artwork of him and the raised fist on his shoulder. “Hindi ko inasahan ito. Napakaraming sumali. Napakalakas ng sigaw. Maraming salamat sa lahat ng #tumindig,” he said in the caption.
As for his message for his fellow artists, he said “’Wag tayong mabuhay sa takot. Let’s use our skills and talents to our advantage. Having the choice to ‘be positive’ in our art is a privilege. I am aware of my own privilege as well, and I will use it to amplify the voice of the oppressed, even at the cost of losing ‘fans.’ I do not create art for the sake of aesthetics. Art is always political, whether we like it or not.”
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN
Meanwhile, if you want to make your own #Tumindig icon, you can thanks to a blank slate that you can edit. There is a blank version of the raised fist icon as well as a transparent .PNG template for those that want to change the icon’s color. “Edit. Draw. Paint. Print. Digital. Trad. Lahat tayo ay #Tumindig,” the caption reads. You also don’t need software like Photoshop or drawing skills to make your own as you can edit it through simpler means like Instagram via IG stories or PicsArt and other similar apps.
While the different, raised fists icons are nice to look at, the biggest and most important takeaway that we should get from #Tumindig is that it’s never wrong to stand up and speak out for what is right. If anything, never underestimate the power of collective action and people from different walks of life coming together for a common cause. After all, that was how change was brought into this country a few times through history.
Check out some of the renditions and iterations of #Tumindig below:
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