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Comic Illustrations / Ilustrasi komik: Johnny Ong
I met the storyteller at the car park. I had lent the storyteller my laptop so that the storyteller could produce a digital story. The storyteller could not show me the final digital story, because the laptop was old, and had no battery life. Under a tree, the storyteller explained to me that the digital story had no images.
I didn't use any images.
I asked the storyteller, “What about your voice recording? You recorded your voice-over didn’t you? What about music? Did you use music?”. The storyteller answered, “No”. I started to nod my head, trying to show that I was processing what the storyteller had said to me, and at the same time, a sense of panic started to set in as I started to worry about what kind of digital story is now in my hands.
What about your audio? You recorded your voice that day, didn't you? Did you use any music? — No. I just used my words.
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Alamak! No one has ever done a digital story this way...
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In my mind, I thought, this is probably the first time ever, a digital storyteller has chosen not to use any audio track nor any images. I could not imagine what the digital story would be like. I had not expected that the storyteller would decide on not using any images nor any audio, because the storyteller is a very visual person. When I returned home and finally watched it, I was pleasantly surprised.
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I'm sorry that I'm so late in giving feedback. But I am fascinated with your digital story. It is very different.
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As I watched, even though I knew her story, I began to recall all the stories I had heard—when some people have the audacity to touch us in places we do not want them too and we have had to suffer that undesired attention. I particularly remember people who are hearing disabled and transgender children, how some people seem to think they have the right to sexually abuse them. If these children, most of them now adults, were to choose to tell such stories, who would bother to listen?
There are many more who suffer in silence. It is this silence that the storyteller carries across so profoundly. It is possibly one of the most powerful digital stories I have ever had the privilege of watching. One only has to listen very closely.
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Sering aku tertanya apa yang mungkin ku kata
Jika aku diberi suara… Apa yang mungkin ku kata? Apa yang mungkin kau dengar? Aku bukan bisu atau terencat dari apa-apa segipun, dan sekiranya kamu berhadapan dengan ku…. Mesti kamu fikir aku ni sememangnya normal Adakah kamu akan percaya? Apakah yang kamu akan fikir? Ingin aku berkongsi dengan kamu… Rahsia-rahsia kecil ku Tentang perjalanan ku Dan impian ku…. Tentang kisah seorang kanak-kanak berumur 5 tahun, tentang pelangi dan kuda unicorn, tentang bilik stor yang gelap kesunyian dan loceng kuil gergasi hanya sebab bermain, aku diam aku dipersalahkan adakah ianya salahku? Apakah mungkin kamu berkata sesuatu? Aku menyusuri kehidupan Dengan rasa tidak banyak yang salah di dalamnya Masih lagi percaya kepada Si pari-pari dan orang kerdil Dan Sang putera di atas kuda yang putih Orang datang Dan Orang pergi… Setiap hari, setiap tahun… Setiap giliran, setiap mukasurat… Setiap klik, setiap ketip… Setiap renungan, Setiap penolakan… Apakah aku harus memahami bahawa segala dan sebarang apa yang telah aku alami di sepanjang kehidupanku ini Disebabkan salahku sendiri? Apa yang patut aku buat atau kata Yang mungkin menjadikan keadaan lebih reda untuk aku… Teruskan, kamu boleh dengar aku, bukan? bukankah kamu sedang mendengari? Sudah berjuta perkara ku katakan, akan tetapi aku juga tidak… bersuara… Aku buka hatiku dan mempelawa mu masuk Mindaku seperti suatu perarakan belon berlalu Kalau satu meletup, macam satu kejutan Kadangkala tidak enak dan pada masa lain ia… kosong… Tetapi sekali sekala Ia bersinar… Dan ketika detik-detik yang paling Berharga ini Bila ianya begitu… Adalah bila aku DISAYANGI… |
Pic by A.M. Kuga Thas
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