Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes on city streets

Ana Liza (right, in red) sharing stories about her life in Kuala Lumpur during the session. — Photos: FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

A GROUP of 15 Malaysians had an eye-opening experience as they played tourist in their own city of Kuala Lumpur, led by a member of a migrant community.

This unique outing allowed a handful of eager participants to explore hidden gems tucked away in downtown Kuala Lumpur, the kind of places rarely highlighted in conventional city guides.

Kembara Stories and Food Trail is a pilot project being carried out each Saturday this month.

Ana Liza (right) answering questions as participants dig into typical Filipino dishes at the end of a session.

It was initiated by Project Future Malaysia, a not-for-profit arts and culture venture.

Project coordinator Kevin Bathman spearheads the initiative, along with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Faculty of Creative Industries dean Dr David Tneh Cheng Eng and assistant professor Dr Swagata Sinha Roy.

Each week features storytellers from different migrant communities — Nepal, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines — including an immersive food tasting experience at the end of each two-hour session.

The series of events kicked off with Nepalese Manoj while Ana Liza from the Philippines took the next slot and Amirah from Indonesia led the one after that.

Kembara Stories and Food Trail is a pilot project spearheaded by Bathman (centre) with Tneh (right) and Sinha Roy.

The last session will be helmed by Nadia from Bangladesh.

The series aims to bring attention to the untold stories of the migrant community, giving them an opportunity to share their experiences.

The September sessions are at full capacity and the group said it had long-term plans for the project, listing some details on its Project Future Malaysia website.

Yong (left) and Yu say they went on the walk as they found the concept intriguing.

The pilot project is supported by the Downtown Kuala Lumpur Grants Programme from Think City.

City through migrant’s eyes

During the walk led by Ana Liza, the participants quickly realised how much they had overlooked their bustling metropolis.

Hailing from Makati City in Manila, the Philippines, domestic helper Ana Liza shared tales of her journey and the challenges she had to overcome to build a life in a new country.

“I came to Malaysia 12 years ago and there were a lot of things I had to learn quickly so I could adapt.

“It has not been easy but it helps if we can build our own sense of community and have places that are meaningful to us,” the 48-year-old said.

[Optional] Joykin is amazed at how locals experience the city completely different from migrant workers.The first spot introduced to the group was a Filipino restaurant – Mabuhay Laguna – along Jalan Hang Lekiu, which is close to St John’s Cathedral.

“Many Filipinos attend church on Sundays, their one day off in the week.

“After Sunday mass, we head to the eateries here and catch up with fellow Filipinos over food,” Ana Liza explained.

The next stop was an unusual one for Malaysians in the group – Kompleks Kota Raya at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.

Here, there are plenty of sundry shops, remittance companies and even hair salons, catering to the Filipino and other migrant communities.

“We also buy products that we want to send back to our families from here as they are cheaper.

“At the shops, we can buy snacks and other food that remind us of home,” said Ana Liza as she pointed out Filipino delicacies such as balut (fertilised eggs – normally duck eggs – that contain almost fully developed embryos).

While the places themselves were not unfamiliar to the group, it was her personal connection to these places and snippets of her own life story that added depth to the experience.

It also prompted some in the group to ask Ana Liza about life back home and what she liked about living in Malaysia.

Other notable spots included Petaling Street, where the community would buy T-shirts, magnets and other trinkets to send back home, as well as Pasar Seni transport hub.

The end of the lively session saw participants try out several Filipino dishes such as Chicken Adobo, Pancit Bihun, Shanghai Rolls and Leche Flan.

The bulk of the fee of RM60 per person for a session is to cover the cost of the food.

Participant Annabelle Joykin, 37, who learnt about the session through social media, said,“How we experience the city is completely different from how they do.”

Similarly, participants Melanie Yong, 34, and Yu Sing Tan, 35, said the concept sounded intriguing so they decided to try it out.

Manoj (centre, long-sleeved shirt) with Kembara Stories and Food Trail participants at Masjid Jamek. — Photo courtesy of EDMOND LEONG

“Ana Liza had an interesting point of view of the places that were meaningful to her, something that we had never thought about,” said Yong.

Yu added that although he worked in the area, he had not visited many of the places that were highlighted.

Novel approach

Bathman said the idea to have migrants as storytellers was initially met with scepticism by the migrant communities.

He said the group reached out to migrant organisations to seek out their assistance in connecting with those interested in participating in the pilot project.

“Many are so used to being ignored by Malaysians that when we approached them with this idea, they were naturally suspicious.

“They were really unsure what this was about,” he added.

Sinha Roy said many of them wanted to know why anyone would want to hear about their stories, food or places they visited.

“But after learning more about the idea, I think that they were touched that anyone, especially Malaysians, would want to hear about their lives,” she added.

Tneh said the intention of the project was not to turn the storytellers into tour guides.

“It is to give a voice to the migrant communities here.

“They can give personal insights about their culture, food and life,” he explained.

When devising the routes for the trails, Bathman, Tneh and Sinha Roy began by delving into the stories of the four migrants leading the walks to establish meaningful connection between their narratives and the locations.

They learnt about places where the storytellers connected with their own communities, shared meals and shopped.

“Through these conversations, we uncovered hidden gems that wouldn’t typically surface through online searches,” Bathman said.

Manoj (right) showing a traditional Nepalese outfit sold by businesses catering to the Nepalese in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Looking on is Bathman (left) and Tneh. — Photo courtesy of EDMOND LEONG

He added that they consciously tried not to impose their own narratives onto the storytellers.

“We were very much aware of the power dynamics within this space as well as we are three Malaysians running this project.

“That was something that we constantly have to keep in check, so that we’re not talking over them and above them.

“We wanted to allow them the space to share the stories the way they want to share.

“This included both the good and bad about living and working here,” he said.

Food is an important component to the sessions, as it is a means to introduce the culture to Malaysians, as Sinha Roy explained.

“We Malaysians are so used to other cuisines such as Korean, Japanese, Italian and French.

“But how many of us actually go and say, ‘Hey, let’s try out food from the Philippines, Myanmar or Bangladesh’?

“This is also a way to get locals to appreciate the migrant workers’ food,” she said.

The biggest challenge the group faced was making sure they were able to find storytellers that could effectively communicate their stories.

“We did several weeks of training to make sure they could effectively deliver.

“We also had a lot of logistics to consider as we would be in public spaces with traffic, so safety was important,” Tneh said, adding that it took some four months of preparation.

Participants are brought to spots in Kuala Lumpur that are meaningful to the migrant communities such as Kota Raya.

The long-term plan, as Bathman explained, was to work with a registered tour operator to make it a regular event.

“We are actively seeking feedback from both participants and storytellers,” he said.

Speaking to StarMetro at the end of the session, Ana Liza said she had confidence in public speaking through her involvement with the Association of Nationalist Overseas Filipino Workers (AMPPO).

“The experience also made me reflect on the things that have become important to me after living here for so long.

Manoj (right) showing a traditional Nepalese outfit sold by businesses catering to the Nepalese in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Looking on is Bathman (left) and Tneh. — Photo courtesy of EDMOND LEONG

“It is an opportunity to tell my story; the struggles, joys and hardships from being away from family,” she said.

The mother-of-three hopes to retire next year and go home to the Philippines.

She wants to set up a small family-run farm in her hometown with the money she had earned and saved by working abroad.

“My wish is that people will learn to treat us (migrants) with respect and understanding as we are people too,” added Ana Liza.