A walk in the park, anybody?
Trust the Japanese to get the Minah Kilang in on it too! What are they doing differently, we wonder?
Those fans look hot ...
... those kimonos are hotter!
Sundown is by no means a closing ...
... when you've got this much colour everywhere!
The evening goes into full swing with traditional Japanese folk dancing.
Impressions of Bon Odori: A flash of a kimono sleeve, joined hands and the beat of taiko drums by night light.
View on a single page 02. 08. 2007
Tembak Shots: The 31st Bon Odori Festival 2007 by Juliana Choo
A picture is worth a thousand words, and Kakiseni wholeheartedly agrees! Check out our latest and newfangled weekly segment: “Tembak Shots”, a peek at art and cultural happenings all over the country.
In "Tembak Shots" this week, Kakiseni's general manager (i.e. "da boss") Juliana Choo shares photographs she took at the recent Bon Odori Festival -- a day of all things Japanese that has become a much looked-forward-to cultural event in urban Malaysia. We won't be surprised if dear ol' Juliana turns up at the office in a kimono one of these days!
On the count of three, everybody. One ... two ... three: ka-wa-ii!~~~
Juliana Choo manages Kakiseni.
Bon Odori is part of O-Bon, a Japanese Buddhist holiday that honours the spirits of one's ancestors. In Malaysia, celebrations basically take the form of a massive fair of Japanese culture. The 31st Bon Odori Festival happened at the Matsushita Sport Centre, Shah Alam on July 14th, 2007.
User Comments
| posted by Adriana N. Manan, Wed 08.08.2007 |
| For me, the jury's still out on how value-loaded the word Minah Kilang is, but I do appreciate your thoughtful response. Thank you, Veronica.
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| posted by Veronica Shunmugam, Editor, Kakiseni.com, Mon 06.08.2007 |
| Thank you for bringing up the issue, Adriana, but the term "Minah Kilang" was not used with a derogatory aim in the captioning of this Tembak Shots. In fact, the term is not a derogatory one from where I come from, passing by busloads of Minah Kilang walking into huge factories at 6 am everyday on the way to school in the mid-1980s. Why should it be when it applies to so many (lower-income Malay) women in Malaysia who wake up at the crack of dawn to arrive at work punctually, have imbibed (some of) Japanese workplace ethics, have become a vital income source for their families --- an increasing number of whom are finding they cannot depend on their young menfolk to bring back the buck these days? I know there are groups in Malaysian society today who sneer at the Minah Kilang but from what I read in the popular Malay culture/media especially, the Minah Kilang is a force to be reckoned with, whether as a big segment of the backbone of the country's industrialisation or --- virtue of that, ironically --- the target of those made barons by industrialisation/social policies. I think we should acknowledge the status of the Minah Kilang by incorporating them into our writings and references. Even an website on the arts --- something usually geared for the elite --- should aim to include them. And in that vein, we lose out to Matsushita who managed --- by company policy or a simple desire to have a bit of fun at the Bon Odori --- to get ordinary folk involved in an activity celebrating culture and appreciation for folk artforms. You know what would be great? If one day, our theatre shows, art exhibitions and our art websites could involve, appeal and recognise the Minah Kilang not unlike how it was done at the Bon Odori festival. For then, our artistic efforts would be more wide-reaching and justified.
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| posted by Adriana N Manan, Fri 03.08.2007 |
| Hi there, I'm not too sure how I feel about the use of the term "Minah Kilang" in one of your captions. Since there was nothing on the women's clothing that immediately identified them as factory workers, I'm curious to know why the term was used to describe them on the page. I'm asking because as far as I know, the term is quite pejorative and has its classist undertones. I hope ethnicity and the use of the tudung in this context had nothing to do with the decision to use the term "Minah Kilang," because tak rocklah you know.....But then again I wasn't there at the event and may be mistaken on how value laden "Minah Kilang" is, so I'd like to hear what you have to say.
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