Determined to speak for themselves, a dozen immigrant spouses from Southeast Asia living in Taiwan yesterday publicized a documentary they produced themselves detailing not only their lives in Taiwan, but also how they have struggled against discrimination in their new homeland.
The documentary, entitled Don’t Be Afraid (姊妹，賣冬瓜), focuses on the lives of four immigrant spouses from Southeast Asia in Taiwan, showing them learning to read Chinese, learning to speak Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) by singing Hoklo songs with their mothers-in-law, helping other immigrant spouses and taking care of their children.
In fact, the documentary is a testament to how well these women have done in Taiwan, as they made it themselves — including writing the script, filming, editing and post-production.
The Chinese title of the film, Jiemei, Mai Donggua — literarily Sisters Selling Wintermelons — may initially seem irrelevant to the central theme of the documentary, but it is actually a witty play on words, as the phrase “don’t be afraid” in Thai sounds just like “Mai Donggua” in Mandarin.
“Because of cultural differences, many people [in Taiwan] think that we immigrants are incapable of doing anything. They think we’re incapable of working and incapable of teaching our kids — they think we came to Taiwan because we are from poor countries and wanted to make money here,” Yadrung Chiou (邱雅青), executive secretary of the Trans-Asia Sisterhood Association Taiwan (TASAT), who is originally from Thailand, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “But it’s not true at all,” she said.
Chiou said that, from not knowing any Chinese characters when she first moved to Taiwan more than a decade ago, she now speaks Mandarin and Hoklo, is well informed about the government’s immigration policies and has played an active role in civic movements in the country.
“Before, it was always other people making movies and documentaries about us [immigrants]. This time, we’re the ones making the movie ourselves because we want to show our stories from our own point of view and show everyone the power of immigrants,” she said.
TASAT chairwoman Phayao Su (舒潘瑤), who also originally came from Thailand, echoed Chiou.
“We live in Taiwan because we want to live here. We have our children here, and we’re working hard not because we want to make big money for ourselves, but for our children,” Su said. “I’ve cried before because people discriminate against us, but my tears today are because I am so very touched by the film.”
The documentary will premiere tomorrow at 6pm, followed by a discussion at Spot Taipei Film House at 18, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2 in Taipei City.
After the premiere, the film will tour the country organizers said, though the final schedule has yet to be announced.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,
RSS