Reaction Paper: Nana Rosa
A play based on the life of Maria Rosa Luna Henson, the “first Filipino to publicly come out as a comfort woman,” Nana Rosa delivers a powerful message and is as relevant as it can be today! Written by award-winning playwright Rody Vera and directed by José Estrella, the play captured the gruesome experiences that comfort women had undergone during the Japanese occupation in the country. Painful and aggravating might be an understatement to describe the narrative and cruel reality of such cases because what Nana Rosa and other sex slaves have actually experienced is incomparable to any fictive and factual representations. Fortunately, the play succeeded in disturbing the audience by the fact of systemic sexual abuse committed by the Japanese soldiers and the long overdue justice that is yet to be gained after several decades. Nana Rosa, as an impactful play inspired by the story of a strong and brave woman, breaks the hearts of the audience, including mine, and affects u