Migration, Media and Performances:A Historical Narrative of Southeast Asian New Immigrants and their Arts in Taiwan
Thai Songkran in New Taipei City Hall, 2016 April.
Migration,
Media and Performances:
A
Historical Narrative of Southeast Asian New Immigrants and their Arts in Taiwan
Lin
Chen-Wei（林正尉）
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely
players:
they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his
time
plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
--William Shakespeare
In recent two
decades, migrants from Southeast Asia have been playing an important role in Taiwan
society. Those who reside in Taiwan have
increasingly constituting their own communities and connections, passing down
collective memories and cultural customs from their mother countries to the
new-born babies.
4-Way Voice
Newspaper（《四方報》） was started publication in such rapidly changing social
situation since 2006. In order to let Taiwanese know more about the migrants’
cultures, admire the unique cultural values of who they are, even cleanse the
bad stereotype and so on, the media becomes an educational platform for not
only the migrants but also local readers. Today, 4-Way Voice is composed of
Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Khmer and Burmese.
In spite of the word “Media”
means multi-processes of social construction, 4-Way Voice obviously makes inner differences due to the various audiences. All kinds of aspects—gender,
religion, culture, job even the duration they live in Taiwan—should never be excluded.
The performances carried out by new immigrants wander through their traditions
and modernity, however, they are undoubtedly reinforcing Taiwan cultural contemporaneity
and futurity. As a result, Taiwan local government becomes aware of acknowledging
the importance of multiculturalism. Authorities show more positive attitude
rethinking of the related policies, also start arranging middle and large-scale
festive events for them .
1. Defining“Performances”：Ensemble
1-1.
Performing: between
traditional / contemporary social connections
What we know is
that music and dance events in traditional Southeast Asian societies are not
simple theatrical relationships between stage and audience. They are usually
organized for symbolic, religious and political functions simultaneously.
However, migrant workers and foreign spouses carry out their performative
actions in traditional ways (including clothing and certain objects), while
creating contemporary characters toward self-identities as well as the social
connections ex situ.
1-2.
Performing : between Front
stage
/ Backstage
In The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Canadian-American sociologist Erving Goffman (1959)
theorized the dramaturgical perspective on social interaction—front stage and backstage. The dual words are concepts used to describe the
relationship between the roles actors play at a given moment and the various
audiences these roles involve. When we perform a role in relation to an
audience (society), that role is on front
stage and our performance (behavior) is open to judgment by those who
observe it. The backstage region is a place where the actors can discuss,
polish, or refine their performance without revealing themselves to their
audience. It also allows them to express aspects of themselves that their
audience would find unacceptable.
Citing from Goffman, Taiwanese sociologist Lan
Pei-Chia(2008) described the Filipina women domestic workers’ real situations in
Taiwan: First, how do they endure any kind of censorship from employers? Second,
how to act like an “ugly and ignorant” servant( front stage)? On the contrary, how do they flip
the public spaces(e.g., stations and parks ) to alternative leisure park
within weekends? The latter means the backstage they create with ease, to free themselves
as a fashionable, self-confident individuals on the open streets. Due to the
public spaces, Filipina domestic workers are able to keep their
privacy as well .
Essentially consisted of individuals,
community-based, site-specific leisure programs in weekend, how do the
following performative events transform into the public issues(i.e., become another
“front stage”) by means of newspaper/media
institution? This article mainly discusses the transformative process of their
arts and festivals.
◎Performances, physical activities and festivals in 4-Way
Voice since2006-2016:
|
|
Total Vol.
|
Performances
Included:
|
Contents
|
Remark/ report direction:
|
|
Viet-version
Báo Bốn Phương
（2006）
|
116
|
13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 29, 30, 33, 34
35, 36,
43, 61,
82, 85,
98, 116
(Total:18/116)
|
mother immigrants
singing competitions, traditional Vietnamese dances competitions, karaoke,
Vietnamese mothers support the Taiwan leader election, official carnivals,
mother tongue education, recipes, music festivals,Vietnamese love song
singers and lyrics introduction(Trịnh Công Sơn
& Toan Nguyen). Vietnamese Cultural
Day in campus, school chorus.
|
Family,
Children, Education,
competitions
|
|
Thai-version
สี่ฝั่ง
（2008）
|
61
|
46, 50,
53, 61
(Total: 4/61)
|
Thai Cultural
Day(including Thai boxing and traditional toys, clothing and Thai cuisine), labors singing / dancing
competitions, Loy Krathong, sepak takraw, soccer games, official Songkran Festival in Taiwan.
|
Physical activities
|
|
Bahasa
Indonesia-
version
Empat Arah
（2011）
|
39
|
10, 17, 26, 27,
29, 30, 33,
(Total:7/39)
|
International Migrants
Day, L'Internationale, Eid al-Fitr, flashmob, theatre troupe,
official Southeast Asian festivals, Kartini
Day, fisherfolk year-end party.
|
Labor issues,
Religious festivals
|
|
Tagalog-
Version
Lakbay
（2011）
|
30
|
1, 2,
8, 10,
11, 12,
13, 14,
15, 17,
19, 20,
22, 23,
25,26,
27, 30
(Total:18/30)
|
Williams Jones cup international basketball
tournament,
labors basketball games, Holy Cross Day, The Philippine Independence Day Parade in
Taiwan, labors parade, Christmas, Flores de Mayo, official Southeast Asian
festivals, fisherfolk year-end party, Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants, masskara festival in
Taiwan, migrant worker be the first legal street artist in
Taiwan, labor dancing company.
|
Religious festivals, Parades,
Physical activities
|
|
Burmese-
version
（2015）
|
5
|
|
|
--
|
|
Khmer-version
បួនទឹស
（2011）
|
25
|
|
|
--
|
Listed by Lin Chen-wei, April 7th 2016.
2. Analysis: Performance arts and
festivals in 4-Way Voice
Generally,
these articles, performances and the culture-specific readers are necessary to
be accessible and approachable. The community-based media seeks to fit in
different migrants shoes. Concretely, Vietnamese immigrants are mainly composed
of female for marriage. In 4-Way Voice Vietnamese version,
the performance events are reported like love song lyrics, cooking, singing
(involve in language learning purpose ) competitions, traditional dances and
family-based art activities; Since the Thai version was derived in 2008 to
serve male construction workers, the contents of memorable performances like Songkran, Father's Day and Mother’s Day, which are fully expected to arouse their loyalty to the
King and the nation. Besides, the migrants soccer games are reported to represent
the energy of physical labor, victorious honor and sense of solidarity .
Indonesians dwelling in Taiwan are requested to be
domestic workers(female) and fisherfolk(male). The performances addressed in
Indonesian version contain the Eid al-Fitr celebrations at Taipei Station or
Forest Park, year-end party in fishermen's association as well as the flash mob fighting for reasonable labor
welfare; According to the Catholic carnival traditions, 4-Way Voice Tagalog version is formed to be
the most particular one. The editor and journalists record how the Filipino
style Christmas, May Flower Festival, Independence Day and Masskara Festival
from Bacolod newly invented in
Taiwan.
2-1.Performance arts/
festivals in Báo Bốn Phương(Vietnamese newspaper):
In November 2007(volume
NO.13), information of a mother immigrants speech contest and official migrants
dance competition(held by Department of Labor, Taipei City Government) were
published in Vietnamese 4-Way Voice. The narrator of it explored the dreams and
nostalgia of Vietnamese mothers, while they showed the positive attitude
inviting employers to come. Traditional clothing(“Ao Dai”), lively atmosphere and
their stories were sincerely noted. Also, the author reported how the foreign
mothers claimed the values of paying respects and equality to the public.
An image of visible imagined community is truly recognized while audiences can efficiently
relate it to clear actions with traditional objects. For another example, on February
20th 2008, some Vietnamese women in traditional Ao Dai gathered at Taichung High Speed Railway Station,
shared their roses and Vietnamese food passionately in order to support
Taiwanese teenagers who were praying the Presidential Election in the coming month. In
brief, to show the “presence” in public, the women selected some visible
traditional signs to make particular campaign--“We are co-participating the future with you .”
2-2. Performance arts/ festivals in สี่ฝั่ง (Thai version):
Dedicating to establish an
information platform for the Thai male labors in Taiwan, Thai version editors do not pay too much
attention in performance arts. To fit the shoes, editors collected the physical
activities news and festivals in prior.
Singing competitions, Loy Krathong, sepak takraw games , Thai boxing , soccer games, official Songkran Festival and so on. However, what can we see in an
official Songkran Festival every year? In fact, Sepak takraw games , basketball players,
famous Thai singers and propaganda(like“Foreign Workers Need to Know”) are “well-juxtaposed”: a “little” police station, telecommunication
service commissioners stand accompany beauty pageant, one-day barbershop, free astrological
services and large amounts of food provided by labor bureau are peacefully coexisted.
Replacing strong religious atmosphere within Thai cultural origins , this kind
of “happiness” is such a temporarily utopia that you will never see on TV .
However, some migrant workers have decided to create their
own ceremonies. During the beginning of December, workers
chose to act for themselves. Thai men autonomously
organized cross-regional soccer games to celebrate the H.M. King’s Birthday(Father’s Day) . Several Taiwan primary
school principals and NGO helped them arrange the space.
Even though plenty
of Taiwanese ever criticized on the noise and potential police risk they may
bring, Thai version editor Huang Chien Chien(2014) insisted on overlapping
herself, standpoint of 4-Way Voice and “stand
for the foreign labours” in her report:
“It is (soccer game) quite important and
meaningful. We are eager to
make Taiwanese understand our
positive energy more, as well as to
express our compatriots’
passion and social cohesion.”
2-3. Performance arts/ festivals in Empat Arah (Bahasa Indonesian version):
Being started the journey
since 2011, editors of Bahasa Indonesian version have shown (Pai Yi Chun & Lai
Pin Chieh) their concerns on International
Migrants Day, L'Internationale, Eid al-Fitr, flash mob, theatre troupe,
official Southeast Asian festivals, Kartini
Day, and fisherfolk year-end party.
During the period from August
8th - 17th in 2013, Taipei City and New Taipei City Government
authorities separately
held Eid al-Fitr and Indonesian Independence Day Holiday celebration simultaneously--as if
they were a couple of competitive partners. The former developed a series of open
air music programs in the City Forest Park, while the latter chose in the
official stadium. An editor merged them together to compare the easy, leisure, “natural” landscapes while the
ecstatic patriotism occurred in the rock band concert: One part is exhibited
with lovely Indonesian domestic workers took care of elders in pretty Islamic
clothing; and the other side performed the red/ white national
flags waving with songs.
In Bahasa Indonesian
version, those performances with international connections would be unique. It is worth mentioning that on February 9th
2014, nine Javanese domestic workers wearing “One
Billion Rising”T-Shirts suddenly assembled in Taipei
Station, and danced an unusual act for a brief time. The team called on the right
to leisure and gender equality. Related to the global movement originated
by American playwright/ female right activist Eve Ensler since 2012,
the female migrant workers stood in line to fight against the lapse of law and gender
violence.
To dance. It was
not only as method of resistance, but also a proper way to expose the lurking
paternal hegemony in public space. Undoubtedly, in order to call the imaginative
intention and alternative thinking of spatial praxis, the photos from international
“One Billion Rising Revolution” images got attached in a certain position in report.
Also, do not forget the “Raden Ajeng Kartini Day”on April 21st . Thanks to the efforts from grassroots labor organization and diplomatic service, Indonesian women started celebrating Kartini’s
lifelong dedication from 2011. On April 19th 2015, many confident Islamic
women supported a romantic parade and beauty
pageant(of course, in their traditional wearing styles) , walking from
Taipei Station to 228 Memorial Park with ease. It’s for sure that some of the specific traumatic
memories are sensitively recalled due to ethnic cleavage 70
years ago. But most important of all, “2015
Kartini Day” in 228 Memorial Park would keep us reminding for not only of the precious “ethnic equal”
values, but also of the strong “gender equal” faith indeed.
2-4. Performance arts/
festivals in Lakbay (Tagalog version):
Born
in 2011, editor of 4-Way Voice Tagalog paid close attention to sport news and
festivals with Filipino readers, Like Williams Jones cup international basketball tournament, labors basketball games, Holy Cross Day, The Philippine Independence Day Parade in
Taiwan, labor parades, Christmas, Flores de Mayo, official Southeast Asian
festivals, fisherfolk year end dancing party, Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants, masskara festival in Taiwan, migrant
worker be the first legal street artist in Taiwan, labor dancing company and so
on.
It is evident to know that Catholic festivals play an important role in the list. However, we can regard them as Metamorphosis. In the May of 2013, in order to show appreciation to the workers remittance, Taipei City authorities made their masterpieces in creating new genre festivals: How to imagine the collage when governors got satisfied in putting Flores de Mayo, quiz contests, dancing show with policy propaganda in one basket?
Coincidentally, it was not the only case. New Taipei City authorities developed the Independence Day with labor carnival in the following year. It was never hard to imagine serious Catholic Mass combined with basketball players’ wonderful skills, national anthem chorus, addresses by honorable guests, free cuisine and performances.
In 2015, an innovation was invented . New Taipei City authorities seemingly attempted to make something different. They imported masskara festival form from Bacolod City (It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental. However, did anyone ever care about the historical relationship between the city crisis, sugar cane and festival in Bacolod?)without any related contexts . Following the consistent style, the Philippine Independence Day was compromised with May Day and masskara festival: Not only would you encounter a famous singer attempted to rescue the dull moment, yet a series of barber shop, free food offered by the labor department, visually-impaired massage parlor, fortune-telling camp, physical examination stop and labor law propaganda you would visit as well. To be frank, the hierarchy-based, marginality, panopticism and the passiveness of foreign labors were more exposed while they were trying to hide.
Despite
the invented festivals mentioned above, we have to discuss the jeopardy between
Taiwan and the Philippines in 2011 and 2013 owing to the difficult relationship
across the Taiwan Straits and the thalassocracy disputes.
To be(saved)or not to be, the Filipinos
labors became a bargaining chip. The
masses burnt with their anger and dissatisfaction toward the guiltlessness. Instead, 4-Way Voice aimed to describe the Filipino migrant workers flash mob in front of the
Presidential Office, shamefully pray for the bad condition. They applied white
and black clay on faces, dancing with Korean popular song “Sorry Sorry”, marking
the characters “APOLOGIZE” clearly
on their heads. In doing so, they begged the official pardon.
Religious procession was
selected by themselves. The clay was
meaningful because of the traditional origin named“Ati-Atihan” in
the ancient Philippines society.
In the past, the (migrants)
Ati people was in need of food because of a bad harvest in their
homelands. Some people saved them. Every year since then, the Atis
danced and sang in gratitude for the helping hand. And now, the working
class adopted
it.
Conclusion: Whose traditions?
In the last part, I
attempt to summarize three kinds of performance“traditions”mentioned above.
1.
Visible imagined community:
As mentioned, Vietnamese immigrants are mainly composed of female
for marriage. Consciously, the narratives in Vietnamese version are emphasized
on family issues, mother tongue competitions, recipes, traditional food
competitions and clothing. The images of “Mother” / “Root” are repeatedly
shaped as visible
imagined community for audiences. Because of low-birth rate and the aging population, these expected figures are applied
validly and become a common demand.
2. The Inventions of tradition:
Based on what Eric Hobsbawm had stated , the transplanted traditions are being
modified to serve certain ideology. Tearing down the original traditions,
symbols, signs and contexts, most of these political festivals insert the
official imagination of “what a well-trained
foreign worker should be/ act”. His/her body,
that is, expected and prepared in
two directions: The more productive they want, the less “risk” may occur.
3. Autonomy
/ Mobility /Subjectivity
It is quite necessary to expect resistances.
As Thai workers created their own sport games during the festival by
their social network(not from government),and Indonesian Kartini Day, we need to pay attention on it:
How do they use/ fit or even interpret their own traditions into new
environment ?
Furthermore, I have to ask : What is a real
equal festival? how to make it appear in the future for those new generation?—not
only newcomers from Southeast Asia, but also our children indeed.
What I have offered is an inadequate but thinkable
sketch. The account is inevitably skewed by my interests and preoccupation.
Something would be come under question.
However, the detail does not matter. What matter is how we show clarity about this “performance map”. Firmly, I try
to offer an explainable narrative which aim to question more possibilities in
the future, instead of a dumb year-timer.
This issue
is just a beginning, for the art “histories” created by migrants from Southeast
Asia are remained ignored. It’s necessary to establish a historical narrative
of Southeast Asian new immigrants with their arts. Exactly, to reflect the lack
of Taiwan contemporary performance histories is always a problematic.
@Presenting in 2016 Asian Theatre Working Group Singapore Colloquium, NIE, 29 April, 1 May 2016. Funded by ICTS Foundation.
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