Of water, land and spaces.
True of false: is sharing, caring?
Hello everyone, we hope the year's first half has been good for you.
Since the start of June, we have witnessed the devastating situation concerning the Bajau Laut living in the waters and along the coast of Semporna, Sabah.
More information has come to light from the Malaysian government, such as the evacuation notices for some 273 homes built within the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. Their forced eviction has struck us close to our hearts. As stateless people, their displacement means they have nowhere else to turn to. As practising sea nomads, their displacement leaves them without a means of livelihood. Their generational maritime skills and cultural practices risk being lost; some are being relocated to another village, where they would have to adapt to living on land.
According to the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, these plans were implemented with a unanimous decision from various agencies, including representatives of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP) Community. However, we question whether such decisions were being made with any input from the Bajau Laut community at all. Some representatives currently advocating for them include the teachers and students of the Sekolah Alternatif (Alternative School) who already have meaningful connections with the community and deeply understand the issues that the Bajau Laut people are facing.
We stand with the Bajau Laut community and Sekolah Alternatif. It was very concerning to hear that a teacher, Syahfeeq Rondin, and 8 students were arrested during their peaceful protest. The Sekolah Alternatif addresses a pressing issue that Stateless people face - a lack of access to education due to insufficient citizenship documents. Such groups of people continue to be marginalised across generations, as education can grant them more opportunities and social mobility. The school has helped countless students by giving them the opportunity to learn.
In June, we had the honour of welcoming some of the community members of the Orang Suku Laut of Bintan, and members of The Island Foundation, a non-profit organisation working closely with the coastal communities. They visited our community spaces at West Coast Park where former Southern islanders continue to practise their maritime crafts and island traditions.
The conversations between the Orang Suku Laut and our community members were incredibly lively, as they exchanged knowledge about their fishing practices - from materials and techniques used, to beliefs and folklore. They even taught us how the Orang Suku Laut would curl their hair using the twigs of the Pokok Sebaru (Sea Hibiscus tree), and we shared how our community uses the shoots of the Pokok Sebaru tree for cooking.
Next month, we are excited to invite you all to join us at our upcoming guided walk, Turning Tides: A walk & conversation with Singapore's coastal natives on 20 & 21 July, 9.30am at West Coast Park. This tour is in collaboration with Kontinentalist and Esplanade Theatres. Take a walk with the descendants of the Orang Laut/Orang Pulau and unearth stories and memories of the surviving communities of Singapore's Southern Islands through a guided walk, food and stimulating conversation. Tickets can be purchased here.
This guided tour is in accompaniment of Air, a powerful verbatim play that tells the stories of the Orang Seletar, an indigenous coastal community that once lived in Singapore. Through interviews and conversations, come hear their stories, struggles, and resilience as they compromise with the encroaching changes to ensure the survival of not only their people, but more importantly, their identity. It will be happening on 12-14 July. More information on show timings and ticket purchases can be found here.
Air and Turning Tides are presented as part of The Studios 2024, a contemporary theatre season by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
Moving forward, we are hoping to call upon the community for our developing heritage garden at West Coast Park! Currently, we are working on soil regeneration for our plot, so that we can grow indigenous flora that is important to the community, focusing on traditional plants for food, medicine and cultural practices of the Southern islanders.
If you love getting your hands dirty, please join our telegram channel and let us know you are interested in volunteering! As we build our space, reach out to us if you have any pre-loved wooden furniture that we could use at the space.
We are very excited as we embark on new research and community building projects, and continue to forge new friendships and connections.
Hope to see you soon!
Firdaus