Music by Rachel W.yen: rachelwyen.com
For an immersive experience, head to thenational.space for the unabridged version of the stories, along with curated archival images and photography by Benedict Lim.
ABOUT THE WORK
Set amidst the city-state’s National Day celebrations across 1966, 1999, and 2020, our protagonists in each time period trudge against the currents of the social order to carve out a space in which they belong. Even in a city that is commonly regarded as a Southeast Asian ideal, queer migrants continue to wrestle between their sense of home, their ambitions, and familial and societal expectations. Our love may be intertwined with politics, but through that, we see courage, sacrifice, and hope.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Benedict is a sceptical idealist, forever dancing between two profundities. They were born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysia. Based in Singapore since 2013, they are keen to explore storytelling in all its forms.In 2021, they worked on thenational.api—a commission for the inaugural Southeast Asian Queer Cultural Festival by ASEAN SOGIE Caucus. The same year, their short story, Your Life in Singapore, was published in Call and Response 2: A Singapore Migrant Anthology.
ABOUT SPLOOSH! PRODUCTIONS
sploosh! productions is a collaborative effort between sploosh! and Sing Lit writers to bring their works to life through the aural medium. The texts featured in wave 1 are themed around longing. Look out for our next open call for proposals.
