The public is invited to this presentation about a lesser known historical figure, Enrique de Malacca. Federico V. Magdalena, PhD will discuss this man in the Vicente Sotto Lecture Series organized by the Cebuano Studies Center, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.

DATE: January 28, 2023, Saturday, 10:00am (Philippine time)

Link: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=578512567624007&set=a.476242187851046

About the Webinar:

The Vicente Sotto Lecture Series begins the new year with a lecture by Dr. Federico V. Magdalena from the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa. His lecture entitled “Enrique de Malacca: Malay or Cebuano?” will be held on January 28, 2023 (Saturday) from 10:00 – 11:30 AM via Zoom.

To listen to the lecture, please answer the registration form linked here: https://forms.gle/aWBux9TYUEkS2egP7

Zoom details will be sent to your email once registration closes.

ABSTRACT:

This webinar lecture re-visits the historical account about Enrique de Malacca and reviews available evidence regarding his identity – is he a Malay or a Cebuano? Enrique is a “captured slave” who worked as Ferdinand Magellan’s valuable interpreter in his voyage to the Philippines in 1521. He got into Magellan’s embrace in 1511 as a young boy shortly after the downfall of the Malaccan sultanate under the Portuguese forces.

Using linguistic data, there is a high probability that this mythical guy, who knew both Malay and Cebuano (aside from Portuguese and Spanish), was more of a Cebuano speaker. This line of thought is corroborated indirectly by primary historical sources, and by inference on contiguous events surrounding Enrique’s early life. This presentation will attempt to explain why.