FOR MANY MALAYSIANS, a lifetime of filling out official forms has normalised the idea that racial categories are as neat and rigid as the boxes that they check: Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Lain-lain (lit “others”). But the reality on the ground is rarely as simple.
Dua Darah, a new play whose evocative title suggests the mingling of bloodlines within a single body, examines the inner conflict of a Malay-Chinese Muslim. Written by playwright Johan Othman, directed by Chee Sek Thim and produced by Tan Hock Kheng, it comes from the same trio that won the Best of 2023 award for Malam Takdir at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. Originally conceived as a monologue drawing upon Johan’s life experiences, the play has since evolved into an ensemble piece that meditates on memory, faith and the judgements faced by those who do not conform to common understandings of race and religion.
THE RETELLING OF A RECOLLECTION
Set during the Covid-19 movement restrictions, the play features a protagonist who performs Chinese funeral rites for a deceased aunt alone. With no one else available to take on this task, they are forced to navigate both duty and doctrine. “At the end of the day, actually it’s [about] the self,” said Johan. “All this social normalization, religious pressure—they awaken this conflict. And I try to bring the conflict inwards.”
