The Malaysian Insight

AZZAD Mahdzir had always wanted to initiate discussion on “uncomfortable” issues through his works, and in his latest offering, Kenduri Kendara, the director explores issues of gender, faith and the frailty of human bonds in a delightful interactive presentation.

Kenduri Kendara, a presentation by The Keepers Studio, allows the audience to participate and experiment in two segments, Suap and Gerobok, before being presented with a play, Samar.

“In Malay culture, when people come to your place, you offer them food, and the ‘principles’ of a Malay kenduri are the feast, the newlywed couple and the couple’s bedroom, the intimate part of the house,” Azzad said on the sidelines of the Kenduri Kendara preview last Wednesday.

“I’m trying to look for a different kind of storytelling technique. Hence, the Suap segment, where people get to listen to an audio input, instructions are given to them, and they will later on ideally feed each other with their bare hands.”

After Suap, the audience is invited to explore Tudung, or headscarf, in a self-portrait experiment in the Gerobok segment.

It comes with a video presentation and snippets of stories from nine women.

“Most of them are bold, interesting, significant stories that are reflective of the tudung identity and gender. It’s experimental in nature,” said Azzad.

One of the reasons he wanted to explore the topic was the change that took place in his household when his sisters and mother decided to don the hijab.

“This got me thinking that the landscape in my house is changing, so this is my reaction to an issue that is dear to them, which I have lifted to be part of the presentation like this,” he said, adding that the segment was also reflective of today’s society, which was becoming more hijab-driven.

The last part of Kenduri Kendara is a 70-minute play, featuring Boh Cameronian Arts Awards winner Nadia Aqilah and newcomer Surnia Fizul.

“Samar is the root, the home. The story is about what happens to a couple who are thrust into marriage (due to an unplanned pregnancy),” said Azzad, adding that the play was adapted from a device play, Pasang.

In Samar, the audience enters the home of a young Muslim couple, and follows the couple’s highs and lows in their marriage journey.

“It’s very gendered. In Malaysian weddings, it’s about men and women; the men would have certain roles and privileges, and the women wouldn’t, for example, as simple as (the right to) ask for a divorce,” said the director.

“There are many routes… before you get a divorce, and most women don’t know their own rights in Islam, if they are Muslim.

“Based on my own research, they don’t know that you can have a prenuptial agreement and you can add on to the agreement that’s given to you by the state. Most people don’t know, and think it’s a bit fussy,” he said, adding that most people viewed divorce as a negative topic.

Kenduri Kendara runs from September 14 to 17, and September 21 to 24, at Makespace, Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

The entrance fees are RM45, and RM25 for students, the disabled and senior citizens. – September 19, 2017.