Doha: What started out as an idea to fill an empty wall in a café, ended as an exhibition of photos for a cause. A nurse by profession and currently working as a paramedic, Roy Fernando, a Filipino expat in Qatar, juggles being a frontliner and a photography enthusiast.
Since 2017, Roy has allotted his free time on exploring the country to practice street photography. From skylines to avenues, his camera lens also focuses beyond the urban setting. With an aspiration to be a documentary photographer, the 30-year-old paramedic is also fond of capturing candid photos of life and human emotions.
His keenness in taking snapshots of genuine and unposed subjects is depicted in his first-ever photo exhibition called, "Orgullo '', which shows an amalgamation of street, culture, and the people of his hometown, the Zamboanga City. Rooted from a Chavacano word, a local dialect in Zamboanga, "Orgullo'' directly translates to "Pride" in English.
Roy described the exhibition as a way to showcase his pride in the rich and diverse culture of Zamboanga, popularly known as the City of Flowers, located in the Philippine island group of Mindanao. The exhibition happened serendipitously when he visited the Kabayan Brewers cafe. Noticing a blank wall, Roy spoke about the possibility of hanging artworks made by Filipino expats in the country.
"I was talking about a great opportunity for overseas filipino workers to hang any form of artwork that represents the Philippines," Roy told The Peninsula.
The suggestion was taken to a different height as the Kabayan Brewers cafe decided to pursue this initiative through a series of art exhibits made by Filipino expats in the country. Orgullo marked the first exhibition under the initiative.
Consisting of ten photos, Orgullo features candid shots highlighting distinct smiles of Filipinos in various settings. At the heart of the exhibition is a piece called "Mi Favorito''. A photo depicting a child belonging to a Badjao tribe, an indigenous group in the Philippines.
The candid photo of the child instantly became Roy’s favorite.
Eventually, the piece, "Mi Favorito", a Spanish phrase for "My Favorite", inspired Roy to choose the “Ayuda Badjao community” as the beneficiary of all the proceeds from his exhibition.
"I chose the 'Ayuda Badjao community' as my beneficiary because I have seen how they struggle from poverty, malnutrition, education, and shelter, most of them live along the sea with no owned property," Roy explained.
In a video shared on Facebook, Badjao tribe leader, Basaria J. Tahaji expressed her gratitude for being chosen as the beneficiary of the exhibit. She also spoke briefly about the rehabilitation needs of the houses in the community and how the proceeds would help more than 300 families who have been gravely affected during the pandemic.
"Thank you so much for this program. To Sir Roy Fernando, to JCI Senate, and to Kabayan Brewers. We are hoping that you would be able to provide assistance to us in solving these problems," she said.
As one of the partners in the exhibit, the President of JCI Senate Zamboanga, Sen. Atty. Gian Paulo U. Enriquez also shared a few words about Orgullo.
He said: "It is with great honor and pride that we've partnered with Mr. Roy Fenando in his photo exhibit entitled Orgullo which will be held at Kabayan Brewers cafe in Doha, Qatar. The photo exhibit will showcase Zamboanga City in the entire world."
Through his eyes, Roy was able to project the beauty of his native land in colour and black and white portraits . What started off as a mere suggestion has resulted in an initiative serving a profound purpose.
When asked for a few words of encouragement towards his fellow kababayan artists in Doha, he simply urged them to keep pursuing their creativity and passion.
"Always remember where we came from and don’t forget our true identity, we are Filipino and we should be proud of it," Roy said.
