Ligaya Custodio Buenaventura
Mother, sister, author, teacher, Tagalog expert. Born on Aug. 2, 1938, in Manila, Philippines; died on March 30, 2015, in Winnipeg, of complications from pneumonia, aged 76.
When Ligaya immigrated to Canada in 1974, she was a published author and established professor from the University of the Philippines. She was proud of this success because it allowed her to share her deep passion for bridging cultures and propagating the Tagalog language. Her Tagalog dictionary and grammar textbooks were used widely in the country's school curriculum, while her translations of children's classics, such as Little Women and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, introduced Filipino readers to Western literature.
Ligaya left her homeland while it was under martial law, seeking to provide for a better future for her young daughter, Loreli. She joined members of her immediate and extended family in Manitoba, where their warm welcome could not offset the shock of a Winnipeg winter. Success had come easily at home, but now Ligaya was tested. As a single mother she was relieved to land a job relatively quickly, in a corporate tax department. She learned how to lug a grocery cart in knee-deep snow and how to get over her feelings of awkwardness when attending parent-teacher meetings at her daughter's French-immersion school. Her early impulse was to pack her bags and return to Manila, but she was determined to stay close to her mother and siblings.
Without snow, Ligaya would begin to feel alive again; over the years, she found other ways to create sunshine by building connections in her adopted city. She taught Tagalog and Philippine folk dance to members of the Magdaragat performing arts group, and led the Mabuhay Serenaders in singing Philippine folk songs at community events and at Folklorama, Winnipeg's annual multicultural festival.
She was passionate about sharing her Filipino culture and channelled this into her teaching. In 1976, she began working part-time as a consultant to the provincial education ministry; by 1983, she was teaching a continuing education course at the University of Manitoba, instructing Filipino teachers on how to teach Tagalog in the classroom. Two years later, she was working as an elementary school teacher, and later became known for teaching traditional dance from various cultures to students of John M. King School.
After retiring in 2004, she continued to learn about the songs, food and dances of other cultures, a quest that intensified with her move to Canada. She continued, too, to promote Filipino culture in Winnipeg, participating whole-heartedly in the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba. She also wrote Tagalog short stories that appeared in the city's Filipino Journal and Pilpino Express.
My mother's love of writing left a lasting resonance for me. The written word was her anchor and solace, especially when she lacked the courage to say what was in the depths of her soul. Instead, she would write letters to me, or nudge me to read a particular book. She made me read novels such as Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstocking and the works of Laura Ingalls Wilder – stories featuring strong female archetypes who overcame challenges and difficulties. She taught me the power of words – how they can soothe, how they can bridge differences, how they can inspire understanding, how they can connect people across time. Her writings are warm comfort for the many of us who will never forget her generous, open-hearted spirit.
Loreli Buenaventura is Ligaya's daughter.