A really harsh term, Rojak Nation. Rojak is a spicy mixed fruit salad loved by Malaysians everywhere in the world. The term is often utilized in local slang to mean “mixed” and is usually used to explain the multi-ethnic nature of Malaysian society. The word “nation” represents our desire for all Malaysians to take part in this endeavor at every step.
Rojak Nation, nonetheless, isn’t colloquial terminology because it is a brilliant initiative by a bunch of young Malaysians that advocates for Malaysia’s multicultural identity and seeks to mix every thing that makes Malaysia Malaysia.
“We believe that our generation has a role to play in bridging the gaps that exist in our Malaysian society. The aim of the movement, therefore, is to inspire and encourage Malaysians to take the initiative to mingle and engage with each other in a way that allows unheard, underrepresented Malaysians to have a voice. We hope that one day #RojakNation will evolve into a larger, nationwide nation-building movement.” says Faye Lim, co-founder of The Rojak Projek.
For those that will not be aware of the Malaysian system of presidency, there are 4 categories that correspond to their identity; “Malay”, “Chinese”, “Indian” and “Lain-lain” (Other). “Our current system of segregation is an outdated relic of the colonial era that has left us highly self-centered and ignorant despite our nation’s establishment and geographic integration. We say this is one of the main factors preventing a truly united Malaysia,” Faye added.
She added that “For PROJECT ROJAK, being Malaysian means ALL TOGETHER. If we can list three races in Malaysia, why can’t we list all of them (including mixed races)? We believe that it is time for our generation to rise to the next level in rediscovering and better understanding our Malaysians. For us, giving names means there is no excuse to act as if others don’t exist. For us, the ultimate goal is to overcome ignorance and help our nation know each other better.”
The Rojak Project began as an idea in late 2014, when there had been numerous negativity surrounding Malaysia over the past few years, which slowly built up as I met latest friends who would join this persistent mission throughout 2015. on New Year 2016, efforts have been made to showcase latest, creative and positive types of the true great thing about Malaysian diversity. Over the years, The Rojak Projek has produced around 550 artistic endeavors, each comprised of different Malaysian dishes, creating a stupendous portrait of Malaysians.
THE ROJAK PROJEK collaborates with RIUH, a monthly creative platform based in Kuala Lumpur, to showcase 10 Orang Asli (indigenous) works created from soil and various plants on Merdeka Day (Independence Day) as a part of the #AnakAnakMalaysia campaign at Eco Ardence, Setia Alam . These artistic endeavors not only aim to indicate the sweetness and importance of the Orang Asli we met of their village, but additionally to convey the message of how they’re one with the land. https://www.therojakprojek.com/orangasli
The exhibition also presents a listing of names containing over 250 names covering combos of ethnic and sub-ethnic groups classified as “other” (other). It is value mentioning that this information doesn’t cover the entire of Malaysia yet.
More details about this amazing initiative might be found here–>
http://rojakprojek.com/rojaknation
