Hey there,

My name is Tristen and I am fundraising for a Work in Progress Production called "Bayangkan Bayang" which translated to English would be "Imagine a Shadow"

Why support this project -- Imagine A Shadow?

Well, imagine not being able to access healthcare. Not being able to have access to education. Imagine not being able to attain a passport or an identity card from the country you were born in. Imagine being denied of housing. Imagine being denied of your very existence. You exist, yes. But at the same time, on record, you don't. And because of that, you are denied of all basic rights.

That is the reality of over 10 million people in the world.

In international law, a stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". Some stateless people are also refugees. However, not all refugees are stateless, and many people who are stateless have never crossed an international border.

I am particularly interested in exploring the topic of statelessness and how we approach migration and migrants in our current climate. The stories of the stateless are one that I would like to bring attention to as many of those who are stateless were failed by their government. And it is cruel I think, to demand the stateless to pay for "sins" that they did not commit. Not to mention the intimidation and scare tactics employed by authorities unto the stateless. Borneo Malaysia faces much of this complex issue and has the third largest reported stateless population in Southeast Asia, with 117,070 people being stateless (Stateless Hub, 2023) and stateless children, through no fault of their own, inherit circumstances that limit their potential. They are born, live and, unless they can resolve their situation, die as almost invisible people.

The funds will go towards research and development of the project which includes the writing, illustration and animation cost for stage projection, equipment and software subscription, sound design and composition, costumes and props to name a few. This Work in Progress will then be shared to audiences and I hope to take this further and develop this into a touring piece with a larger company of people with the lived experience of being stateless.

Any amount of donation is greatly appreciated and I would grateful for your belief in this project.