Leisure of Internally Displaced Marawi Families

Abstract

Family is a strong foundation of a successful nation and participating in leisure activities contributes to a happy and functional unit of society. However, in unfavorable situations, there are families who were drastically displaced in order to survive such as the Marawi siege which had brought massive internal displacement in the history of the Philippines. Using ethnographic research fieldwork methods, this study examined and explores how family leisure is exercised in unfamiliar territories among internally displaced Marawi families and the impacts it had on family leisure experiences in three key concepts: space, activities, and time. The findings revealed that displacement enforced unique constraints on leisure, such as those related to the overlap of work and leisure time and space, limited finances, preference for money accumulate overspending on leisure, have led internally displaced families to discontinue some previous practices, and pursue passive and home-based leisure activities. Displacement, however, also led families to be resilient, adapt to new leisure activities, and contributed to the development of new family leisure values. The family's solid perspective on the role of leisure in strengthening family bonds trumps the limitations and challenges set by current circumstances.