Back Story…

Object: Meranao Woven Garment called MALONG.

This Malong is the strongest to represent my identity because first, this represents my culture, Meranao and represents me as a cultural worker who aims to promote and protect my culture through stage performances and through writing. Second, this garment is one of the most expensive and most preserved garments. As a woman of my culture, I am also considered expensive who must be preserved and protected. This is how my culture sees us, women--precious jewels who have to be kept and protected. Third, Malong is a circular garment which has a limited space. It covers the whole body. Like me, I have limitations as a woman of my culture. I cannot walk as spacious as those of our men giving me the less freedom to express myself as a Muslim Meranao woman .Imperfect this object may be like that of my culture but I believe that this imperfection is what made me a beauty of my own culture--a beauty behind this threads of imperfections. I also believe that these imperfections (i.e less freedom for women like me) can be made better if we women will fight for this freedom positively without giving up what ALLAH S.W.T wanted us, women, to be.

Bai Salam Ibrahim is a Muslima Ambassador.