“Onward Malay Women” and “Letter to Georgette Chen”

A rallying call to “chuba lagi [try again]” echoes throughout the writings of the Malay columnist Norlian Binti Muhammad Tahir (active 1950s, b. and d. unknown) and artist Rohani Ismail (1943–2018) in the 1950s and 60s. The expression emerged from a letter Rohani wrote to her artist-friend Georgette Chen, where, amidst mundane updates on her life, Rohani articulated her intention to challenge her husband’s authority in preventing her from traveling. Resonant with Rohani’s fortitude, the act of “chuba lagi” presents a site to observe the embodied act of resistance in the written word. Here, Norlian’s “Majulah terus Wanita Melayu [Onward Malay Women]” demonstrates a vitality expressed in the intention to “try again.” Through her manifesto-like writing, she urges Malay women to “advance” in their “desire for success.” Published in 1952 in the Malay periodical Hiboran, Norlian’s article encourages Malay women to “persist forward,” despite the “contempt” that was the “norm” for women across Malaya. Both Rohani and Norlian present a rhetoric in which expressing intent through writing is as powerful as action itself, especially for those facing gender discrimination. Both authors endeavor toward their freedom, seeking progress for themselves and for the wider collective. Their texts, translated from Bahasa, are preceded by an introduction by Nurul Kaiyisah.