Cultural Impact

28/10/2021

19/12/2020

Proud and energised to be collaborating with this inspiring group of people to bring engaging and impactful programs to our clients.

Theatre can make you laugh, cry, smile. Empathise. It can get you beneath the skins of characters to view the world from their perspective. KLSP Exchange The...

16/08/2020

Addressing the topic of Sarawakian Culture in the workplace proved more challenging than I initially anticipated. The session left me with a few thoughts and questions:

- What are the differences between how we talk about/ address minority cultures compared to better known cultures?
- Getting to understand and learn about minority cultures is harder work.
- Sarawak is a land of diversity, and mixity - Does coming together means ironing out our differences and specificities? Is it about creating a common culture, and only reverting to our original culture when among a specific homogenous group?
- The importance in Sarawak of blending in without asking too many questions: How to combine an experiential approach (feeling a culture) with a cognitive approach ( intellectualizing cultures)
- Our cultures teach all of us specific skills, connected to the values that matter in our communities. What are the skills that are specific to the different ethnic groups in Sarawak?

I do believe that it is important to have clarity on what one’s cultural preference is so one is aware of the gaps with other people and better equipped to bridge those gaps. I am still curious to further explore some of the main ethnic groups in Sarawak.

The conversation I had with Dr. Welyne Jeffrey Jehom, Alexis wan Ullok and Valerie Mashman is a first stop in this discovery. Here is a free transcript of what we discussed.

Addressing the topic of Sarawakian Culture in the workplace proved more challenging than I initially anticipated. The session left me with a few thoughts and questions: What are the differences between how we talk about/ address minority cultures compared to better known cultures? Getting to underst...

18/06/2020

23/05/2020

A Malaysian Animated short film that received many accolades.
A legend of Borneo that carries a message of hope. Happy Week-end and Selamat Hari Raya to our Muslim friends.

Legend Of Ancient Borneo is an animated short film produced by All-For-One Productions. The story is based on a fantasy short comic about created by Aks Kwan...

12/01/2020

An interesting article on multiple identities written by Malaysian writer Tash Aw - This would be a good answer to Trevor Noah misunderstanding after the French World cup win in 2018, on what it means to be French and something else
" For Chinese-French people, it’s not the same as Chinese-Italians or Chinese-Spanish, who are always thinking they will never be fully integrated and will probably go back to China in 10 years’ time. We think of our children and grandchildren living normal lives in this country, so we need to change things. I have a way of thinking which I feel defines a French person: I believe that the government can always, always, be changed. I believe in the power of revolution to change our lives.”
It is a long read but well worth it .

The long read: People of Chinese descent have long faced prejudice and violence in France. But today a new generation is staking out its rightful place in society

12/01/2020

"We need to Talk" - this is the title of the series that Hilke Wagner, director of the Albertinum museum, Dresden, launched in response to the hate mail and phone calls she received from far right supporters, opposing her views of inclusiveness. No matter how divergent our point of view can be, if we want a better society we indeed need to talk and include everyone in the conversation. if we dont we just widen the gap, and exacerbate our differences instead of trying to understand each other and find an inclusive path.

Dresden has declared itself in the grip of a ‘Nazi emergency’. But when one museum boss was targeted by extremists, she opened her doors to talk

10/01/2020

Most conflicts (small or major) in the world come from different expectations on what the world and society "should" look like and how, as individuals we "should" behave as part of these systems. No matter how open-minded and accepting we think we are, there is often a limit to our ability to accept views that differ radically from ours, as acceptable alternatives.
When values clash, how to remain authentic, sincere and engaged while understanding and fitting in different environments?
This has been a central dilemma in my life for the past 30 years. The New York Times article presents this dilemma as faced by the Sussexes, giving pertinent insights into American and British world views.

Happy new year and wishing for more cross cultural understanding and appreciation in the world in 2020.

After a week of anxiety over the conflict between the United States and Iran, all of London’s attention turned on Thursday to another major rupture with international implications: Megxit.

23/10/2019

One of our Malaysian cultural symbols is soon to disappear. Read this interesting article to see what steps you can take to help protect the Malayan tiger. Raphaëlle Tseng

In the 1950s, more than 3000 tigers lived and ranged across the jungles of Peninsula Malaysia. As of 2019, less than 150 can be found in…

27/03/2019

Proud of Raphaëlle Tseng and her teammates.
They took part in the TechTogether Boston hackathon and won a prize for developing this google chrome extension. It helps you find out about the gender and ethnic diversity in large organisations - Apple in the picture below. To start with, they worked on a database of about 30 large corporations providing this type of data in the US! It is a useful additional tool to start conversations on diversity in the workplace.
TechTogether is an NGO that promotes gender equality in computer science and the tech world .

03/02/2019

Another benefit of immersing yourself in new cultures and learning new languages-
Make it a new year resolution and learn a new language this year!
新年快乐, Bonne Année, Feliz Ano Novo, Selamat Tahun Baru, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, سنه جديده سعيده!