The humidity is absolutely melting my brain today. Or maybe it’s sleep deprivation; I failed at adulting last night and went to bed way later than I should have. In my defence, the c drama I was watching had a car chase scene and it’s against international (something something) law to stop watching in the middle of a car chase.
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Once again, the Infocomm Media Development Authority demonstrates how much of a misnomer its name is. In a statement jointly issued with the Ministry of Home Affairs, IMDA declared that the script of Homepar, a piece submitted by established theatre company Wild Rice, breaches the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC). They said that an earlier version of the script would have been given an R18 rating, but Wild Rice didn't want to revert to that old version, so "IMDA has disallowed the performance in its current form".
"The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer shielding abusers from detection," the statement says. "It undermines Singapore's anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime, and public confidence in the CNB. Performances that undermine Singapore's national interest are not permitted under the AECC."
Homepar, by Mitchell Fang, wasn't going to be a fully-staged play—it was supposed to get a dramatised reading as part of an incubation programme for new and original works. This is what Wild Rice said on their website about the context in which Homepar was supposed to be presented:
Under this scheme, plays are developed through rigorous dramaturgy and script workshops. They are then presented as dramatised readings, with actors reading early drafts in front of an audience so that playwrights can gather feedback on what works and what needs more work. This is the most effective way for plays to get an early test run, and for audiences to get involved in the otherwise unseen hard work that goes into creating a play: rewriting, rewriting, and rewriting.
Wild Rice has responded quickly and firmly to the news, rejecting the authorities' characterisation of Homepar as "glamourising drug abuse".
"Homepar does not condone or glorify substance use," Wild Rice says. "It seeks to ask why people—real people, in our society—turn to drugs, often as a response to trauma, discrimination, and marginalisation."
The fact that Homepar is a work in progress was also pointed out: "It is deeply disappointing that a developmental work has been thrust into the public spotlight and judged as if it were a complete and finished work. [...] the arts must have the space to explore complex, often uncomfortable realities—especially if we are to create meaningful, socially engaged theatre. Homepar does not ask audiences to approve of drug use. It asks them to understand the human stories behind it, and to imagine the possibility of recovery and belonging."
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The Online Citizen is raising funds to take on a POFMA direction. In February this year, TOC was POFMA-ed for an article asking questions about the Ridout Road property where K Shanmugam, the home affairs minister, lives. TOC says that this appeal "is set to test the very boundaries of POFMA—particularly whether journalists can be penalised simply for asking questions".
According to the last update I saw on social media, TOC has raised about $3,500. But they need more; this is the breakdown they provided on Instagram (with details on how to donate):
The workshop will be held at Book Bar on 9 July from 7–8:30pm.
Apply to Jee at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org with a paragraph explaining your interest in writing poetry and in this workshop. Deadline: 30 June!
Something interesting
While in Manila for the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) regional conference earlier this month, we met Art and Dolly, a shy, gentle couple with a truly incredible story.
Art, sentenced to death for kidnapping for ransom in 1998, spent almost 31 years in prison and was only released in January this year. In an interview for Currents, a newsletter and podcast on human rights in Asia, he shares his journey from death row to redemption, faith and freedom—all while his wife Dolly supported him and lobbied for an end to capital punishment in the Philippines.
Listen to Art and Dolly tell their story:
Calum Stuart
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