Malaysia: Scenes from Kuala Lumpur

Performances are well underway as we continue our inaugural project in Malaysia, partnering with Asylum Access Malaysia to create programming with Kuala Lumpur's refugee population. Working with local troupe Masakini Theatre, as well as the Rohingya Women's Development Network and Somali Community Coalition, we've created a series of performances addressing common issues faced by refugees, from access to healthcare, to interactions with law enforcement, to applying for status with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency).

Performances also address resources that refugees can access to help deal with common issues, as seen in this snapshot of a rehearsal with Masakini Theatre. Though Malaysia is not a signatory of the UN Convention on Refugees, domestic and international non-profits operating in the country do offer some limited resources.

All performances are interactive, meaning that audience members have the opportunity to discuss, or even correct information presented based on their experiences. This is both an effective tool for sparking dialogue among refugees, and for relaying the most up-to-date information about refugee experiences to advocacy groups attending performances.

Audience members ranged in age, nationality, religion, gender and background. Here, some of our youngest audience members enjoy a refreshing post-show treat with a cast member.

The program has been a great success, and we are so excited to share that the Rohingya Women's Development Network and Somali Community Coalition will continue to train with Masakini Theatre.

Working with Refugees in Malaysia

Greetings from Malaysia, where Bond Street is launching its newest project working with refugee groups.

More than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, coming from a range of countries and languishing in makeshift housing.

Many have fled active conflicts in Myanmar, where Bond Street has been working since 2009, while others have traveled from Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iraq and Syria. With the influx of men, women and children from different parts of the world, language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of employment plague refugees who struggle to start a new life.

We are partnering with Asylum Access Malaysia – a respected advocate for refugee rights – to implement programming that will assist in their work. Asylum Access runs a variety of “know your options” trainings for refugees, covering everything from healthcare access to education to UNHCR registration.

However, these trainings are often delivered by PowerPoint, which presents a challenge since many of Malaysia’s refugees are illiterate.

That’s where theatre will come in.

A workshop with the Rohingya Women's Development Network

First, we are working with a group of Rohingya women who want to learn theatre. We are working on teaching theatre techniques, and on identifying a range of problems faced by the community, which we will later work together to dramatize.

We are also working with a mixed-gender group of Somali refugees who have newly formed a community advocacy organization. When we did our Problem Tree exercise, where participants speak about local issues and their causes, the group named cultural integration, language barriers, and jobs among their concerns.

Finally, we are working with Masakini Theatre, a Malaysian troupe, to bring Asylum Access's PowerPoints to life.

After one week, we’re already off to a great start. We can’t wait to see where this project takes us.