Live & Learn

Imam Afroz Ali lectures around the world on topics like spirituality, human development, ecological wellbeing, and ethical rights and responsibilities, among others. A founding member of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, he is also an Australian Ambassador to the Charter for Compassion. He joins us to discuss how economy — in its truest sense — is about frugality, and therefore a new economics needs to be adopted that measures frugality and its beneficial results, as opposed to profitability through consumption and denying its consequences. 

This International Day of Happiness, we speak to the creator of Happy Boy, whose cartoon character (Happy Boy) encourages us all to seek out the happy child inside all of us, and to find joy in the small things in life. Alex Lim joins us to discuss why he created this character, and why we all need to find ways to spread happiness, especially when times are tough.

Disney/Pixar animation studios latest film, Onward, which is currently playing in Malaysian cinemas, follows two brothers who embark on a magical adventure in search of a gem that could bring their father back to life. Like any Disney/Pixar film, Onward comes with a bunch of fascinating and hilarious characters. Interestingly enough, a Malaysian had a little something to do with bringing those characters to life. We speak to Kiki Poh, a Malaysian shading and grooming artist who works at Pixar Animation Studios. 

In the wake of recent political developments, debates over the nature and effectiveness of forms of civic engagement have cropped up here in Malaysia. We speak to Brian MacHarg, the Director of Academic  Civic Engagement at the Appalachian State University in the USA, about what civic engagement means, why it is important, and why we should continue to value it.

History on Repeat is an eight-part miniseries that aims to delve into key aspects of Malaysian history. While we won’t be able to cover every period and topic in our vast and complex past, we will be having a series of conversations on key subjects, places and themes, and discussing why our history still matters today. Malaysia, located at the meeting point of two oceans, has long been a hub of migration and trade. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought an increased number of migrants from China and South Asia, witnessing the mingling of diverse cultures and the growth of influential diasporic communities. For our sixth episode, we speak with Karen M. Teoh, Associate Professor of History at Stonehill College, and Sunil Amrith, Mehra Family Professor of South Asian History at Harvard University, discussing why Chinese and Indian migrants came to Malaysia in this period and how the communities they built have shaped our history.

History on Repeat #1: Archaeology and the Roots of the Malay World

History on Repeat #2: Rethinking Melaka and the Sejarah Melayu

History on Repeat #3: Portuguese and Dutch Legacies in the Malay Peninsula

History on Repeat #4: Nineteenth-Century Women of Malaya

History on Repeat #5: British Malaya through the Lens of Architecture

History on Repeat #7: Malaya and the Second World War

History on Repeat #8: The Making of Malaysian Identities

In the film ‘Bila Kami Bersatu’ (When We Are One) which debuted at the 2019 Freedom Film Fest, we got a rare insight into the lives of working class women in Malaysia. The film follows a group of hospital cleaners, who unionised to demand fair wages. Much has transpired since the premiere of that film, and we catch up with co-director of the film, Minxi Chua, and also S. Rita, one of the workers featured in the film. Joining them is Sarasvathy Muthu, the Executive Secretary of the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services. Rita, along with five other cleaners, sadly lost their jobs at the start of the year, and we're going to find out what exactly happened and how she is trying to move forward.

Recent figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimate that in the South-East Asia and the Pacific subregion, 11.6 million people are migrant workers – 5.2 million of whom are women. Nevertheless, the migration experience also tends to be one where migrants are faced with discrimination based on gender, nationality, and other facets of identity. This International Women's Day, we explore the experiences of female migrant domestic workers in Malaysia, and their contributions to communities in Malaysia. We also discuss how we can all contribute to positive, non-discriminatory public attitudes towards all migrant workers, and especially women migrant workers.

History on Repeat is an eight-part miniseries that aims to delve into key aspects of Malaysian history. While we won’t be able to cover every period and topic in our vast and complex past, we will be having a series of conversations on key subjects, places and themes, and discussing why our history still matters today. For our fifth episode, we explore the history of British Malaya through the lens of architecture. Buildings have many stories to tell us about the past, and they are interesting historical sources in part because we can still go inside, walk around and learn from many of them today. Our guide through British Malaya’s fascinating architectural history is Mariana Isa, Assistant Honorary Secretary of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Malaysia.

History on Repeat #1: Archaeology and the Roots of the Malay World

History on Repeat #2: Rethinking Melaka and the Sejarah Melayu

History on Repeat #3: Portuguese and Dutch Legacies in the Malay Peninsula

History on Repeat #4: Nineteenth-Century Women of Malaya

History on Repeat #6: Migration and the Making of Chinese and Indian Diasporas in Malaysia

History on Repeat #7: Malaya and the Second World War

History on Repeat #8: The Making of Malaysian Identities

Back in August 2018, photojournalist, activist and educator Shahidul Alam was imprisoned by the Bangladeshi government, when he was accused of trying to bring down the government, and for inciting violence. Not knowing whether he would live or die, he was finally granted bail in the face of overwhelming international support for his safe release, after a 101-day incarceration in Bangladesh’s Keraniganj Jail. But despite everything that was done to silence him - including his arrest and torture - Shahidul continues to speak truth to power, and to fight injustice in his home country. One of Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2018, Shahidul joins us to discuss the role of the political artist, while also highlighting his newest book, The Tide Will Turn, which documents his experiences, the global support for his release and the ongoing fight for democracy in Bangladesh.

Attempts by some opposition politicians to move a confidence vote for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Parliament, and talks of the formation of a Pakatan Nasional government, have left many confused. Is there any provision in the Federal Constitution for such a confidence vote to be brought to the Dewan Rakyat? Does it mean anything or is it just a meaningless political exercise? We discuss this and more with Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi, a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Malaya and Lim Wei Jiet, a constitutional lawyer. Law & Behold is an ongoing series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law.