Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Faizal Abdullah

Tell us about your show and what audiences can expect?

Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi? (Who Took My Malay Away?) is a lecture-performance that investigates my Muslim-Malay-Singaporean identity and the tension that exists between the latter two nouns. It looks at themes of identity, indigenous displacement, a disappearing language and writing system, and decolonising how the Malay is perceived. There’s some really gorgeous visuals and sound design that have been created by my collaborators and I think the audience will be provoked, surprised and learn a thing or two about Malays and Singapore.

Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?

Khai who is the producer and my wife, is also the unofficial director of the piece. She is my most trusted sounding board, and I can always depend on her to be brutally honest, even if it hurts my feelings! I am also working with Kinga Markus and Jeffrey Choy once again for the visuals used in the performance. There are more visuals this time round and both their works are so different stylistically, it’s really exciting. And we have Isyraf, our Singapore-based sound designer. I have been wanting to work with him for some time now, and when this opportunity came, everything fell into place.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work, both in terms of creation and performance?

I try to find inspiration from everything really. I do go back quite a bit to my ethnicity, heritage, history and language. But I also like to look at the ‘lighter’ aspects of my life, such as my love for Manchester United, food and P. Ramlee films for inspiration. Right now, I’m trying to R&D a new performance centered around football and the social issues linked to it; especially the lack of diversity and representation beyond the playing field.

Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and thematically?

This is quite different actually. It’s a very personal piece, and I’ve not quite done something like this. It’s the first time I’m performing solo, and writing for and directing myself onstage. In terms of themes, it’s also quite new, because even though I’ve done work which talks about the Singaporean-Malay community and our experience, this time round it feels like I’m hitting new spots; raising tougher questions and being more honest about thoughts.

Why is this an important story to tell?

I realise that not many people know that Singapore is a multi-racial country, made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians and Others. And being Malay, I’d like to talk about what it is like being Malay in Singapore. So it’s probably a side of Singapore that audiences are not familiar with. I want to showcase to the world the country that I know and love. The good and bad. I want to make it clear that we celebrate our diversity, and we get along brilliantly, but sometimes we don’t, and then we go back to being best friends again. We suffer and struggle, but we get through it together. We have a complicated history, and we should never feel afraid to look back at it and learn from it.

What would you like audiences to take away from seeing this production at the Fringe?

I hope they go away with a slightly better idea about what is a Malay – the culture, the language, the lifestyle, our idiosyncrasies, and also a better idea of the Singapore that I know – with all her best qualities and imperfections.

Do you tend to take inspiration from events happening in the world around you in terms of your work? Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what's happening?

You can’t avoid, or rather ignore, the things that are going on because I think that will be irresponsible on the part of a theatremaker and artist, or at least someone who wants to think of himself as one. I personally find it very exciting if I can reference something juicy that is fresh or current in the public’s consciousness. I won’t go so far as to say that we have a responsibility, but I’d like to think that I’m not the kind of theatremaker that will shy away from responding and reacting to what’s going on around me. I always hope the work that I make is more than just entertainment, it should provoke and make the audience think or see something in a new light.

How do you feel about the current arts landscape in your country and your part in it? Does it excite you and inspire you to keep pushing the boat out?