Conflict as a Catalyst: The Impact of Post-WWII Turmoil on Seni (Theater and Literature) in Malaya

Situated at Kampong Gelam, the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) is a museum which provides a wealth of cultural exposure and learning experience about Malay culture and heritage. Though it is currently closed for renovation works, MHC continues to bring various programmes to partner venues around Singapore.

Ms Annaliza Bakri holds a Master of Arts from the Department of Malay Studies at the National University of Singapore. Her research interests include ideology and its impact on literature and language education. Her writings, interviews and literary translations have been published by Prairie Schooner, Brooklyn Rail, Transnational Literature, s/pores, Budi Kritik (2019), Asymptote and Centre for Stories. She edited and translated a poetry anthology featuring places in Singapore and her surrounding islands titled Sikit-Sikit Lama-lama Jadi Bukit (2017). She has also co-translated award-winning poet, Alvin Pang's What Gives Us Our Names (2011) into Malay in 2019.

Rafeyah Abdul Rahman started writing for television in the ‘90s, most notably for the series Semarak Budaya. She went on to write several other crowd favourites including Sihat Oh Sihat, Zakat SG and Warna Ramadan.

Rafeyah is also a playwright and has several stage scripts to her name. After her playwriting debut, Geisha, she wrote Kisah Cinta Romzi dan Juleha, which was staged at the Esplanade in 2008. She then wrote Ayam Den Lapeh, Arba'a and Senja Cruise.

Liyana is a Programmes Manager at the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC). She graduated with Master of Arts from the Malay Studies Department, NUS in 2023, with research focused on colonial and indigenous Malay knowledge production in the Malay Archipelago. Her research interest includes developmental studies and the relationship between literature and society. As a former traditional and contemporary Malay dancer, she has deep passion and enthusiasm in Malay language, literature, heritage and culture. She was appointed as Teman Warisan (Cultural Heritage Ambassador) by the Malay Heritage Foundation in 2021.