Introduction

This exhibit focuses on Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal, a novel written as a satirical commentary on the Philippines’ sociopolitical conditions under Spanish authorities. Published in Berlin, Germany in 1887 toward the later part of the Philippines’ Spanish colonial era, the novel was smuggled into the Philippines shortly after. The novel was then subsequently challenged by the Philippines’ permanent Board of Censorship on grounds of the novel being seditious propaganda. Although this recommendation of official censorship was initially ignored, the Spanish authorities turned to extrajudicial oppression of the Noli’s readers before eventually censoring the novel later on. This exhibit aims to explore the Noli’s challenging at the time of its release and eventual censorship. Beyond this, this exhibit will also demonstrate how against all odds, this endangered novel shaped canon Filipino literature and helped build the nation we know as the Philippines today.