Perspectives and Storytellers
Week two had come and gone and oh by what a week it was. Given how delayed this entry is should be a good indication of the intensity that unfolded. This week, in my opinion, was a lot of retrospection and understanding my own self.
This past week, we had the opportunity to listen to a wonderful address by a Nigerian Author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Ted Talk - The danger of a single story). Chimamanda, in her wonderful speech, spoke about what is it like find new connections to your own roots and what it is like to understand the way the world perceives your culture. This was something that really did connect with me in a way I didn’t expect.
To provide some context, I am originally from India and I have been living in New Zealand for about 8 years now. I left India in a situation where I wanted to run as far as I could from everything that could connect me to things from home. And that didn't really help me. For the longest time, I felt like I didn't belong here and I had ran so far away that I don't belong back home. That made me question a lot of things about myself. Who I am? What is my identity? Where do I belong? What is my purpose?
And last year, I started finding some answers for these questions when I started working with some newer creatives, just like how Chimamanda was able to find more clarity in her own identity when she had a mentor talk to her about some characters in her works. I was able to relate a lot this specific portion of her speech.
The words of Chimamanda’s mentor represents the existing idea that our differences and cultural complexities are only valuable to provide emotional beats leads to a situation where many of the underrepresented voices are used as token points to hit demographics. And the fact that Chimamanda fought against that reinforces my beliefs that we as creatives need to approach our creative work from a place of genuineness, highlight the different perspectives, not reinforce preconceived notions.
Image - A still from Pantry of Memories, where the cast is preparing some Dosas, a south indian dish.
Last year, I got to work on my second short film, "Pantry of Memories" after a 3-year sabbatical. In this film, I had written a lot of my own experiences, along with some strong connections to my with Tamil roots. But when we did get to making the film, we got into so many situations where I had to make decisions to dilute my own cultures. More importantly, there were situations where I had to stand my ground and stick by my creative decisions.
One specific thing that we were able to accomplish was showing my connection with Indian food. Through the process of making a film that’s predominantly made for western audiences, I was still able to retain parts of my culture, providing my audiences with a new perspective that the have seldom seen. And now, having found my connection again with my culture, I can reclaim it and further improve my connection with it through my creative works.
Going through this experience made me understand that, my identity is something I define, not a tag that comes with the circumstances of my birth and upbringing.
Film of the Week: Poor Things (2023), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara, based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray.
Song of the Week: Take my Breath Away - Count Three & Pay (1986) - Berlin.
