THE ANNEXE WEEKLY
Thu 3 to Sun 5 Sep 2010
THIS WEEK:
BEG YOUR PARDON: When Governments, Leaders & Individuals Say Sorry
THE HARDEST WORD: The Art of Saying Sorry
THE SHARING: Photography Exhibition
+ + + +
BEG YOUR PARDON
When Governments, Leaders & Individuals Say Sorry
begyourpardon
Forum
Fri 3 Sep, 8.30pm
Presented by the Say Sorry Day Campaign
Admission Free
"FOR THE PAIN, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry." – Australian PM Kevin Rudd's apology for mistreatment of aboriginal Australians, 13 Feb 2008
"We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret and we apologize for them." – Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein's apology for the 2009 financial crisis, 17 Nov 2009
"And I felt sorry, and I have felt bad about what happened." – Monica Lewinsky, 2002
SAYING SORRY is first and foremost a personal act to initiate a journey of reconciliation and healing between two individuals. However, it is an act that also has implications beyond two private individuals. When leaders of communities, corporations and even countries apologize for the wrongs of the past, they also begin putting things right in the present in order to have a brighter future together.
The apologies quoted above have become historical milestones of recent history. We remember them because public apologies from leaders are so few and far between. So few in fact they often shock us into catharsis and tears, allowing many of us to move on from our hurt. But yet, we are aware of many more wrongs yet unaccounted for. Are there things for which our government, community leaders and public individuals have yet to apologise, thus preventing us from healing as a nation?
This forum aims to explore both the personal and public dimension of the act of saying sorry to facilitate greater thought in the respective spheres, and hopefully inspire individuals and larger groups to cultivate a culture of the willingness to make amends.
SPEAKERS
1. When Governments Say Sorry by Ambiga Sreenevasan
2. When Corporations Say Sorry by Sreedhar Subramaniam
3. When Communities Say Sorry by Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof
4. When Individuals Say Sorry by Leow Puay Tin
Click here for speakers’ bios.
+ + + +
THE HARDEST WORD
The Art of Saying Sorry
saysorryday
Performance
Sat 4 Sep, 2010, 8.30pm
Presented by the Say Sorry Day Campaign
Admission Free
SCARLETT O'HARA: Oh, oh, Rhett. For the first time I'm finding out what it is to be sorry for something I've done.
RHETT BUTLER: Dry your eyes. If you had it all to do over again, you'd do no differently. You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but he's terribly, terribly sorry he's going to jail.
– "Gone With The Wind", Sidney Howard
"True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive." – Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
JUDGES, LEGISLATORS AND MINISTERS like to believe that law and punishment can correct criminals and teach us how to be moral citizens. After all, politicians have to believe they have some use! But punishments only inspire fear and the law merely teaches us how to escape being caught.
The law does not teach lessons, second chances do. Therefore, a few Malaysian artists, actors, writers and musicians have come together to help us reflect honestly on our capacity to do wrong, to seek forgiveness, to be forgiven, and to forgive.
PERFORMERS
1. AMIR MUHAMMAD, critically-acclaimed filmmaker-writer, shares a montage of clips from old Malay movies featured in his new book 120 Malay Movies.
2. ANNE JAMES & JO KUKATHAS, award-winning theatre actors, re-enact a scene from the play Cuckoo Birds.
3. BRIAN GOMEZ, writer (Devil's Place, What Do Gay People Eat?), reads from his new short story, written for specially for the occasion.
4. HISHAMMUDIN RAIS, non-governmental individual, writer and former ISA detainee, does his infamous stand-up routine.
5. I-SOUL, Chinese-language band, offer us acoustic songs on the theme.
6. LIYANA FIZI, popular singer-songwriter, sings apologetic original songs.
7. PANG KHEE TEIK, Annexe Gallery arts programme director, just wants to say sorry to everyone.
Click here for more info.
WHAT IS THE "SAY SORRY DAY CAMPAIGN"?
SAY SORRY DAY: Sun 5 Sep 2010
This event is held in conjunction with the Say Sorry Day campaign. A collective of individuals and organisations are coming together to declare Sept 5, 2010, as Say Sorry Day. Everyone – in Malaysia and beyond – is encouraged on this day to seek forgiveness from and grant it to each other. The inspiration for Say Sorry Day is a young Malaysian, Yong Vui Kong, who was only 18 when he was arrested for drug trafficking in Singapore. He is currently appealing for clemency, but he may still be hanged and not get a chance to redeem his wrongs. His situation is extreme, and many people may not find themselves in the same situation. However, we all need forgiveness because we all do wrong; as the saying goes, “to err is human, to forgive, divine”.
Say Sorry Day on Facebook.
Say Sorry Day article in The Star.
+ + + +
THE SHARING
Photography Exhibition
poster_eng
Mon 30 Aug to Sun 5 Sep | 11am to 8pm
Admission Free
Eighteen amateur photography students, together with their teacher, will be hosting a photography exhibition to share their collection of photographs. The exhibition will be held at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur on the 30th August to the 5th September 2010. The sole purpose of this exhibition is pure and simple: to share their passion for life through the lenses of their camera. These 18 students consist of working class adults of a wide range of age group, and background, all bound together for the love of photography.
Click here for more info.
+ + + +
ART FOR GRABS Malaysia Day 2010
Arts & Crafts Bazaar + Events
art4grabsept2010
Sat 18 & Sun 19 Sep | 12pm to 8pm
Presented by The Annexe Gallery, supported by Central Market
Admission Free
The Annexe Gallery's beloved art bazaar celebrates Malaysia Day, as artists sell works under RM100 each, and writers, filmmakers and closet scientists share their Malaysian dreams with us.
PROGRAMME
All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.
Sat 18 Sep
12pm
Scenes from 120 MALAY MOVIES
Amir Muhammad shows scenes of love, vice, horror and those that ran into censorship problems, from the films featured in his new book. Presented by Matahari Books.
2pm
UNSCIENTIFIC MALAYSIA BIG BANG ANNIVERSARY
Malaysia's sexiest closet scientist and a bullshit private detective debunk Malaysian myths and legends. Presented by PopIN:PopOUT.
4pm
SELEPAS TSUNAMI by Anna Har
This video documentary surveys the impact and meaning of so-called reforms introduced in the aftermath of the 12th Malaysian general elections. Did the earth move? Presented by KOMAS.
6pm
THE SPACE BETWEEN IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPES: Films by Ross McLaren
KL Experimental Films Fest presents a pre-festival showcase by Canadian Ross McLaren, whose films have mesmerised audiences the past 30 years. Admission RM6 donation.
Sun 19 Sep
12pm
MENUJU PAS BARU & KITA KAN ORANG MALAYSIA: Double Book Launch by YB MUJAHID RAWA
PAS MP for Parit Buntar launches two new books: one about new developments within PAS, another about his experiences integrating the major ethnic groups of Malaysia through PAS.
2pm
Queer As Films present SHOW ME LOVE
In a loser town in Sweden, two girls, the most popular in school and the loner, find they have something in common. But can their love for each other overcome their fear of others and of themselves? Film screening presented by Queer As Films.
4pm
FARISH NOOR: Two, Then Three, Then Four Colours - A Potted History of the Malaysian Flag
How did the Malaysian flag come about? Everyone's favourite historian gives an account of how four colours came to be. Presented by OtherMalaysia.
6pm
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS FROM CANADA & BEYOND
KL Experimental Films Fest presents a pre-festival showcase of experimental short films from Canada and around the world. Toronto's Images Film Festival director introduces the films. Plus Q&A. Admission RM6 donation.
Click here for more info.
Thu 3 to Sun 5 Sep 2010
THIS WEEK:
BEG YOUR PARDON: When Governments, Leaders & Individuals Say Sorry
THE HARDEST WORD: The Art of Saying Sorry
THE SHARING: Photography Exhibition
+ + + +
BEG YOUR PARDON
When Governments, Leaders & Individuals Say Sorry
begyourpardon
Forum
Fri 3 Sep, 8.30pm
Presented by the Say Sorry Day Campaign
Admission Free
"FOR THE PAIN, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry." – Australian PM Kevin Rudd's apology for mistreatment of aboriginal Australians, 13 Feb 2008
"We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret and we apologize for them." – Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein's apology for the 2009 financial crisis, 17 Nov 2009
"And I felt sorry, and I have felt bad about what happened." – Monica Lewinsky, 2002
SAYING SORRY is first and foremost a personal act to initiate a journey of reconciliation and healing between two individuals. However, it is an act that also has implications beyond two private individuals. When leaders of communities, corporations and even countries apologize for the wrongs of the past, they also begin putting things right in the present in order to have a brighter future together.
The apologies quoted above have become historical milestones of recent history. We remember them because public apologies from leaders are so few and far between. So few in fact they often shock us into catharsis and tears, allowing many of us to move on from our hurt. But yet, we are aware of many more wrongs yet unaccounted for. Are there things for which our government, community leaders and public individuals have yet to apologise, thus preventing us from healing as a nation?
This forum aims to explore both the personal and public dimension of the act of saying sorry to facilitate greater thought in the respective spheres, and hopefully inspire individuals and larger groups to cultivate a culture of the willingness to make amends.
SPEAKERS
1. When Governments Say Sorry by Ambiga Sreenevasan
2. When Corporations Say Sorry by Sreedhar Subramaniam
3. When Communities Say Sorry by Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof
4. When Individuals Say Sorry by Leow Puay Tin
Click here for speakers’ bios.
+ + + +
THE HARDEST WORD
The Art of Saying Sorry
saysorryday
Performance
Sat 4 Sep, 2010, 8.30pm
Presented by the Say Sorry Day Campaign
Admission Free
SCARLETT O'HARA: Oh, oh, Rhett. For the first time I'm finding out what it is to be sorry for something I've done.
RHETT BUTLER: Dry your eyes. If you had it all to do over again, you'd do no differently. You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but he's terribly, terribly sorry he's going to jail.
– "Gone With The Wind", Sidney Howard
"True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive." – Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
JUDGES, LEGISLATORS AND MINISTERS like to believe that law and punishment can correct criminals and teach us how to be moral citizens. After all, politicians have to believe they have some use! But punishments only inspire fear and the law merely teaches us how to escape being caught.
The law does not teach lessons, second chances do. Therefore, a few Malaysian artists, actors, writers and musicians have come together to help us reflect honestly on our capacity to do wrong, to seek forgiveness, to be forgiven, and to forgive.
PERFORMERS
1. AMIR MUHAMMAD, critically-acclaimed filmmaker-writer, shares a montage of clips from old Malay movies featured in his new book 120 Malay Movies.
2. ANNE JAMES & JO KUKATHAS, award-winning theatre actors, re-enact a scene from the play Cuckoo Birds.
3. BRIAN GOMEZ, writer (Devil's Place, What Do Gay People Eat?), reads from his new short story, written for specially for the occasion.
4. HISHAMMUDIN RAIS, non-governmental individual, writer and former ISA detainee, does his infamous stand-up routine.
5. I-SOUL, Chinese-language band, offer us acoustic songs on the theme.
6. LIYANA FIZI, popular singer-songwriter, sings apologetic original songs.
7. PANG KHEE TEIK, Annexe Gallery arts programme director, just wants to say sorry to everyone.
Click here for more info.
WHAT IS THE "SAY SORRY DAY CAMPAIGN"?
SAY SORRY DAY: Sun 5 Sep 2010
This event is held in conjunction with the Say Sorry Day campaign. A collective of individuals and organisations are coming together to declare Sept 5, 2010, as Say Sorry Day. Everyone – in Malaysia and beyond – is encouraged on this day to seek forgiveness from and grant it to each other. The inspiration for Say Sorry Day is a young Malaysian, Yong Vui Kong, who was only 18 when he was arrested for drug trafficking in Singapore. He is currently appealing for clemency, but he may still be hanged and not get a chance to redeem his wrongs. His situation is extreme, and many people may not find themselves in the same situation. However, we all need forgiveness because we all do wrong; as the saying goes, “to err is human, to forgive, divine”.
Say Sorry Day on Facebook.
Say Sorry Day article in The Star.
+ + + +
THE SHARING
Photography Exhibition
poster_eng
Mon 30 Aug to Sun 5 Sep | 11am to 8pm
Admission Free
Eighteen amateur photography students, together with their teacher, will be hosting a photography exhibition to share their collection of photographs. The exhibition will be held at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur on the 30th August to the 5th September 2010. The sole purpose of this exhibition is pure and simple: to share their passion for life through the lenses of their camera. These 18 students consist of working class adults of a wide range of age group, and background, all bound together for the love of photography.
Click here for more info.
+ + + +
ART FOR GRABS Malaysia Day 2010
Arts & Crafts Bazaar + Events
art4grabsept2010
Sat 18 & Sun 19 Sep | 12pm to 8pm
Presented by The Annexe Gallery, supported by Central Market
Admission Free
The Annexe Gallery's beloved art bazaar celebrates Malaysia Day, as artists sell works under RM100 each, and writers, filmmakers and closet scientists share their Malaysian dreams with us.
PROGRAMME
All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.
Sat 18 Sep
12pm
Scenes from 120 MALAY MOVIES
Amir Muhammad shows scenes of love, vice, horror and those that ran into censorship problems, from the films featured in his new book. Presented by Matahari Books.
2pm
UNSCIENTIFIC MALAYSIA BIG BANG ANNIVERSARY
Malaysia's sexiest closet scientist and a bullshit private detective debunk Malaysian myths and legends. Presented by PopIN:PopOUT.
4pm
SELEPAS TSUNAMI by Anna Har
This video documentary surveys the impact and meaning of so-called reforms introduced in the aftermath of the 12th Malaysian general elections. Did the earth move? Presented by KOMAS.
6pm
THE SPACE BETWEEN IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPES: Films by Ross McLaren
KL Experimental Films Fest presents a pre-festival showcase by Canadian Ross McLaren, whose films have mesmerised audiences the past 30 years. Admission RM6 donation.
Sun 19 Sep
12pm
MENUJU PAS BARU & KITA KAN ORANG MALAYSIA: Double Book Launch by YB MUJAHID RAWA
PAS MP for Parit Buntar launches two new books: one about new developments within PAS, another about his experiences integrating the major ethnic groups of Malaysia through PAS.
2pm
Queer As Films present SHOW ME LOVE
In a loser town in Sweden, two girls, the most popular in school and the loner, find they have something in common. But can their love for each other overcome their fear of others and of themselves? Film screening presented by Queer As Films.
4pm
FARISH NOOR: Two, Then Three, Then Four Colours - A Potted History of the Malaysian Flag
How did the Malaysian flag come about? Everyone's favourite historian gives an account of how four colours came to be. Presented by OtherMalaysia.
6pm
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS FROM CANADA & BEYOND
KL Experimental Films Fest presents a pre-festival showcase of experimental short films from Canada and around the world. Toronto's Images Film Festival director introduces the films. Plus Q&A. Admission RM6 donation.
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