Young and talented creative practitioners representing Malaysia, Philippines and South Korea come together as one to bring this brilliant piece of performing art named MaPhiKo come to live at the recent Suwon Theatre Festival, South Korea
By SHAFIQUE DANIAL JOHARI
“I was invited to go to a performing arts camp back in 2019. It was one week in Jogjakarta, another week in Japan and it was at that theatre camp where I met Hyeonji and James for the very first time,” Sharifah Aleysha Al-Yahya shares the very moment how this culturally diverse group of creatives started to bond a few years ago. All three of them are active performing artists, however they originated from various different countries and backgrounds. Aleysha lives in Malaysia, Hyeonji Park is Korean and James Harvey Estrada is a Filipino through and through.
After returning from their successful mission to Suwon, South Korea, BASKL had the honour to talk to the whole group and personally pen down their story of MaPhiKo. Their friendship and creative minds connect like no other and there was pristine warmness and fondness between them that was felt from the very first second BASKL started the interview. From the original three, this group has expanded to many more members from many other countries including creatives from America, Taiwan and all around the world. They call themselves The Fake News Collective.
One secret ingredient to their success is definitely the strong bond of friendship that exist within the group. Another director of the play, James from the Philippines also shared his thoughts. “We all know that art is work but most importantly I think we make friends first before we make the work,” says James passionately. He also says that another reason to their success is that they create care in their artwork rather than merely creating another piece of art to be shown to the public. To him MaPhiKo is not just another piece of art that crosses international borders and a cultural exchange per se but more of a care exchange, “without that I think it is impossible for a tri-nation project to happen.”
Another core member of the group is Ali Alasri who also works under the Industry Development Unit at MyCreative Ventures. Their recent Korea-South East Asia Cultural Exchange Project 2023 in Suwon was organized by The Fake News Collective, GreenPig Theatre Company and supported by MyCreative Ventures, The Arts Council Korea and also The Suwon Theatre Festival. The South Korea engagement by the Malaysian team also managed to open up dialogue for collaboration between the two nation’s performing arts sector and practitioners.
Ali also talks about the potential of a cultural exchange model to be sustainable and to help artists grow even more beyond the shores of their respective countries alone. “There is definitely a possibility to do an international co-residency and cultural exchange but what’s more important is how we continue to support friendship platforms,” he shares. Ali gave an example of how friendships are like doors and without the first move of being friends, ideas will not connect with one another and eventually limits what an artist can do in the future.
‘MAPHIKO’ is an acronym of Malaysia, Philippines, and Korea. These three countries have a common history of colonization, dictatorship, and media blackout; which led fake news to be a tool for the social/political controls. A debate is held among candidates who are preparing to elect the leader of a new country. The audience asks questions to the candidates, and each candidate persuades their audiences by answering questions raised. As the candidates’ stories gain logic and structure, the mechanism of fake news is explored through the perspective of trans-nationalism. It is a play about and with an imagined nation.
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