Rilek1Corner

Tag: Chinese

  • Singapore Filmmakers Need To Be More Progressive On Their Interpretations Of Race

    Singapore Filmmakers Need To Be More Progressive On Their Interpretations Of Race

    To Singaporeans complaining about whitewashing & cultural appropriation in Hollywood:

    PLEASE LAH. The same thing’s been happening in our own little film industry, and no-one seems to have spoken up about it.

    CASE ONE: Jack Neo’s “Ah Boyz to Men”: a film about National Service in which ALL the main characters were Chinese. When he had the chance to reboot the series with a Part 3, did he develop one of the Malay, Indian or Eurasian minor characters? Nope! He invited a Taiwanese guest star to steal the limelight. (Remember, this show got MINDEF money to create images of the SAF which no non-Chinese kid would identify with.)

    CASE TWO: Gilbert Chan’s “23:59” and “Ghost Child／鬼仔”。 These are horror movies based on Malay folklore: spirits on Pulau Tekong (where you can’t bring pork) and the toyol. The casts are completely made up of Chinese people.

    CASE THREE: Raymond Tan’s “Wayang Boy/戏曲小子”. This one’s interesting, because the main character is an Indian immigrant kid who speaks Mandarin, and Suhaimi Yusof plays a teacher in his school. And yet it’s set in a Singapore where there are no other Indians (his dad’s dead and his stepmother’s a Chinese woman who forces him to speak Chinese).

    CASE FOUR: Nearly all the shows on Channel 8—still Mediacorp’s most-watched channel—do not feature Malay, Indian or Eurasian characters. In contrast, Suria and Vasantham shows feature Chinese sidekicks regularly.

    The obvious rebuttal to this is that it’s harder to cast non-Chinese when you’re working in Mandarin, which is the language that seems to do best for film and TV here (another kettle of fish there…).

    And yet some shows have done it successfully. Chai Yee Wei’s “That Girl in Pinafore”. Jack Neo’s “Long Long Time Ago”. These films don’t shy away from racial prejudice either—they expose it. On Channel 8 there was also “School Days/七彩学堂”, which was a Chinese version of “Mind Your Language”, but with less stereotyping.

    (Oh, and tons of young non-Chinese Singaporeans today can speak Mandarin. They just may not have told you.)

    By the way, Jack Neo’s making “Ah Boyz to Men 4” and Gilbert Chan’s making “23:59 Part 2”. Can anyone buzz them and tell them to be a little more progressive? Thanks.

     

    Source: Ng Yi-Sheng

  • Ariffin Sha: Malay/Muslims Must Stop Racist Remarks On Ramadan Bazaar Geylang Issue

    Ariffin Sha: Malay/Muslims Must Stop Racist Remarks On Ramadan Bazaar Geylang Issue

    The ‘Ramadan’ Bazaar isn’t some special zone reserved for only Muslims and/or Malays. Many patrons and stallholders are not Malay. Anyone, regardless of their race, is entitled to their own opinion of the things on offer there. Whether they think it is overpriced fluff or worth the hype has absolutely nothing to do with race.

    I can’t help but notice a trend where minorities all too readily play the race card in situations where race is immaterial. We must dispel the notion that only the majority race is capable of racism. In situations like this, identity politics must be called out.

     

    Source: Ariffin Sha

  • Epigram Books Illustrated Handbooks On Singapore’s Main Races Received Mixed Responses Online

    Epigram Books Illustrated Handbooks On Singapore’s Main Races Received Mixed Responses Online

    Epigram Books came under the spotlight earlier this month for a series of illustrated handbooks released by the independent local publisher.

    Authored by Edmund Wee, the founder of Epigram Books, ‘The Understanding Singaporeans’ series consists of four illustrated handbooks. Each handbook contains 20 questions, with answers as well as useful tips, to some of the most asked questions young Singaporeans have revolving around the country’s four main races.

    According to Epigram, the four-book bundle, each representing one ethnic community within the country, was produced with one thought in mind – “How do we respond to the most awkward questions children ask?”

    Readers on the publisher’s Facebook page however, pointed out the misrepresentation between the races and its customs.

    One netizen, Sharifah Husin, said, “The titles should be “Why do Hindus dot their foreheads?” and “Why do Muslims avoid Pork?”. However, since the series is meant to focus on practices unique to each of the four races, a clear understanding of the difference between race and religion must be ensured before publishing the books. Incorrect information transmitted will mislead readers, especially children, who would like to learn more. For example, Non-Hindu Indians do not dot their foreheads, while Non-Muslim Malays do not don the Hijab.”

    While others appreciated the efforts put forth by Epigram Books on “opening a dialogue between races”, some also echoed Sharifah’s sentiments, pointing out that not all Indians are Hindus, and only Hindu women wear ‘bindis’ on their forehead.

    Epigram Books was quick to issue a response, clearing the air and explaining their choice of words for the titles and questions asked from the four-series book.

    Since the beginning of their promotions for the book series, Epigram has been receiving queries about their choice of titles, the publisher explained.

    “To be honest, we had very much the same concerns while debating the merits of these titles. To alleviate those concerns, we made sure to run through the books’ content through various focus groups sourced from representative ethnic communities and associations to ensure that any sensitivities are adequately addressed,” Epigram said, in a post.

    They had picked the titles that best represented “what our children can best relate to and most likely ask, not to mention that they would also grab the attention of adults enough to spark a much-needed conversation on race and religion”.

    Epigram agreed that the book, meant for children between 5- to 8-year-old, can only “scratch the surface of an otherwise complex topic” but they hope that it would be an opportunity for adults to address these “awkward” questions with more confidence.

    “We’d like to ask that you see the Understanding Singaporeans series with the eyes, mind and innocence of a child, so that you can understand how children might come up with these questions in the first place,” Epigram added.

    The series of illustrated books can be purchased from Epigram Books website.

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

  • Oxford Study In Malaysia: For Malays, Being Malaysian Equals Being Malay

    Oxford Study In Malaysia: For Malays, Being Malaysian Equals Being Malay

    KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — National identity and what it means to be Malaysian hold different meanings to Malays and non-Malays, according to a research paper sponsored by the CIMB Foundation.

    The study by Oxford University found that while respondents from the three major ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese, Indian) identified more strongly with their ethnic identities rather than a national one, Malay respondents believed that there was little difference between “being Malaysian” and being Malay.

    It added that integration efforts by the government, such the 1Malaysia concept, may not be successful in its intention as different ethnic communities had varying ideas as to what being Malaysian was.

    “Speaking in terms of being Malaysian to a Malay audience may not promote integration, and could potentially hinder it. More research is necessary to replicate and further investigate the relationships between these variables,” it added.

    By associating the Malaysian identity with being “Malay”, the researchers said that this could in the long run create “negative consequences”, as non-Malays may then view their contributions to the national identity as being disregarded.

    The study added that by assuming the Malaysian identity as being Malay, there was also a risk of it being perceived as an exercise in assimilation rather than integration.

     

    In its recommendation, the study said that the government should rethink its 1Malaysia policy.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Lions Always Had Chinese Players, What’s Stopping Them Now?

    Lions Always Had Chinese Players, What’s Stopping Them Now?

    Singapore had the Quah brothers, then came Au-Yeong Pak Kuan, David Lee & Tay Peng Kee playing in the Malaysia Cup, Steven Tan, Lee Man Hon, Lim Tong Hai, Stephen Ng & Amos Boon followed into the national set-up.

    Now we have Gabriel Quak and Gymkhana FC have Hong & Jonathan playing…

    There are many Chinese players playing (see Katong FC & Tiong Bahru FC) but are they scouted and deemed good enough for our country for international exposure…

    Many more Chinese players in the COEs and Prime League. I personally dont think getting the Chinese boys to play and have a career in football is the problem…

    I will leave this notion open…peace & out!

     

    Source: KhaiZana Zam