Crowds of migrant workers, domestic helpers, and local Singaporeans alike burst into dance in Grantral Mall, Tai Seng, as the iconic Sufi song Dama Dam Mast Qalandar during Migrant Workers Singapore’s (MWS) Migrants Labour Day on May 31.
MWS is a non-profit group founded in 2018 that aims to showcase the talents and culture of migrant workers, as well as a platform for them to voice out their issues and brainstorm solutions.
Mr Ripon Chowdhury, the founder of MWS, said that he wanted the workers to have the chance to celebrate at their own event, which they can attend, as foreign nationals are unable to attend the usual Labour Day Rally at Hong Lim Park on May 1.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come down; last year we only had maybe 100 people, but this time it doubled,” said Mr Ripon, 37, a migrant worker in Singapore for nearly two decades.
There were several dance performances from different regional communities, a poetry reading, a skit and a Bangladeshi folk band.
Ms Nikita Roy, a domestic helper from West Bengal, dazzled the audience in a shimmering sari as she danced to Bollywood hits like Dola Re Dola.
“On Sundays when I have an off day, I always look for opportunities to learn new dances or to perform,” said Ms Nikita.
Mr Bala Murugan, 30, an air-conditioning technician from Tamil Nadu, performed gravity-defying moves, with backflips and cartwheels throughout his dance performance.
Mr Bala, popularly known as EpicDanceBala on TikTok, has over 27,000 followers on the platform.
“I’ve worked in TV, taught dance classes, and even had my own dance academy in India,” said Mr Bala. “Since coming to Singapore, I can only dance in my free time, so it was very nice that the audience at the event was so encouraging.”
Besides the performances, MWS’s Our Meals Matter campaign was the throughline at this event: A campaign that focuses on helping workers get better conditions for their food situations, like having the right and time to cook in their dormitories.
Other support groups also attended, like the Transient Workers Count Too and Migrant Writers of Singapore.
Ms Janelyn Dupingay, team lead at Migrant Writers of Singapore, said that as a domestic helper, she learns a lot from attending other groups’ events, mainly seeing how different the conditions are for domestic helpers and migrant workers.
“I had so many questions after attending the event; I had no idea that some of them could not cook or just buy their own food,” said Ms Dupingay, 35. “I really admire their bravery for speaking on this.”
On May 24, Migrant Writers of Singapore collaborated with Weekend Culture, a contemporary events group, to screen the 2019 documentary I Dream Of Singapore, as well as have a poetry reading by writers from the team in response to themes in the film.
Each poem touched on the disparity between seeing Singapore as a big opportunity for their lives and the effects of homesickness and societal struggles. This event was also organised with Labour Day in mind, specifically for creative labourers.
Mr Ripon said that occasionally they face criticism, but pointed out that such events are the only spaces for workers to voice out their concerns to audiences that aren’t just themselves. “We only talk about the problems we are facing and how we can have a better life,” he said.
