This webinar takes as a point of departure from Gogularajaan Rajendran’s filmmaking practice at the intersection of Tamil indentured labourers and plantation folk songs.
Through his exploration on the embodied archive of soundscape, memory, and storytelling, he not only confronts the extractive reality of colonial modes of plantation but also foregrounds the affective and ethical dimensions of listening to what the archive and its people omit.
Centring on dignity, consent and collective remembrance, the discussion also draws on the possibilities to reclaim narratives from the sites of trauma and struggle. How can archiving become a generative space for healing, solidarity and imagination? Is it possible to strategise archive as a relational and transformative politics of care?
Speaker: Gogularaajan Rajendran
Gogularaajan is a Kuala Lumpur-based filmmaker dedicated to telling Tamil Malaysian stories, blending horror and humour through provocative, poetic approaches. As a descendant of South Indian indentured labourers brought by the British to Malaya, he feels compelled to voice the untold stories of his ancestors.
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Discussant: Noor Netusha Nusaybah
Noor Netusha Nusaybah is the co-founder of Imagined Malaysia, an organisation that aims to promote historical literacy and engage with the issues of the day from a historically informed perspective. Noor graduated with an MPhil in world history from the University of Cambridge as a recipient of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Fund at St Catharine’s College. She previously attained a bachelors in international relations from the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Her research interests include the history of political thought, Islamic studies, Asian studies and international development.
Moderator: Barathi Selvam
Barathi Selvam is an academic, researcher, activist and film enthusiast pursuing a PhD on representation, ideology and identity construction of marginalised communities in Indian Malaysian cinema. With a passion for exploring art, politics and cinema, he envisions a classless and discrimination-free world.
This event was organised by Pusat Sejarah Rakyat (PSR) as part of the Under The Banana Tree’s Archival Network in Southeast Asia and its publicity partner, Imagined Malaysia. It was organised in collaboration with the History Department at Bristol University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK Research and Innovation.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
