Saturday, October 21, 2006

poSt cOLLoNiAL bULL****

dear jess,


ever since ive been accused of being to casual in my research writings, ive transfered my ‘need to be’ into using my large aesthetic words here, instead. lacking anymore emotional or personal depth and repeating regrets, ive decided to pick on something else instead.


as i was rereading comments from 'oh-so-great' theatre practitioner cum owner of studio cum im white but actually lebanese who once lived in australia, i came over this horrible play he once did. and when interviewed it was interesting, his reply was. to the question 'theatre goers did not enjoy your show, but non theatre goers did.' he loudly 'kutuk' theatre goers and applauded non theatre goers that he manage to 'entertain' them, because that was his aim.


you see, in a country where i-can-win-a-reality-competition-alto-i-cant-sing-dance-or-even-look-good but simply because im a village boy; one strives for the faintest, littlest hope that once again the stupid white men can save us.


but of course, that is post collonialism bull****.


why do white men walk into OUR theatre doors and pretend to understand gamelan and mak yong and wayang kulit whilst in the way they speak and look at you, you know they thing they're better than you?


simply because.


we let them.


my best example is the i-can-win-a-reality-competition-alto-i-cant-sing-dance-or-even-look-good boy.


we let them


we let the talentless win competitions, and the ones with the talent who fail to admit that even they can put up shows that fail, performances that will fall flat, theatre that has gone bad.. to those, we instead suck up and tell them that it was good, so that we get on their good sight. it still feels like we let them rule us. we've let ourselves become the product of post collonial... all together now..... ******

tesco's anyone?

yours

jess

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jess,

Your thoughts describe mine exactly. Being here in our EX-colonialiser land (excuse the wrong term), I see it everywhere! Not just the inferiority complex in the Malaysians and other Asians but especially in the people from the Africas. Tsk tsk tsk. Maybe one of the effects of globalisation and ONE world culture is that it subconsciously undermines the psyche of non-westerns. Hope u are doing well, besides this. Miss u!