September 21st is a precarious date for Filipinos in the Philippines and across the globe. Besides being International Peace Day, the date is the anniversary of the treacherous Martial Law declaration in 1972.
To celebrate life and decry the abuse of human rights, a troop of the country’s top cosplayers are rallying together to spread a humanitarian message on September 21: we need more heroes.
“As a geek and cosplayer, it hasn’t been sitting well with me that we consume a lot of media of heroes that fight for good… yet, we haven’t used our passions to make something impactful about all the injustices that are currently happening to our country,” said Maronne Cruz, who organized the movement.
The movement is called A Hero’s Call. Cruz gathered Filipino cosplayers who felt the same way to exhibit the talent they know and love for a good cause. The movement will be releasing an online photo series on September 21. The series will feature different superheroes (and even supervillains) holding up placards with quips against today’s killings and corruption. The movement aims to encourage positive action from its audience.
The series’ message is simple: in a time where villains are very real, it’s time to become our own heroes. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re into; if you have a voice and a passion, you can use it for good.
At the time of this writing, twenty cosplayers (and counting) have joined the movement’s ranks. Notable participants include Dan Geronimo (Spider Dan of Kikomachine) and Serge Gabriel (Words Anonymous). The series’ photographer is Matt Lee.
