Pattani [or Patani] is a province in South Thailand. Together with its neighboring provinces namely Yala, Narathiwat, and Songkhla, this region is well known among Muslims in Malaysia on account of its proximity, its renowned scholars who were/are active in Malaysia and the occasional violence/murders that had taken place in recent years.
I never imagined seeing Patani in a different light until I visited an art exhibition at the Ilham Gallery in KL. So there I saw for the first time some beautiful and heart moving artworks by Muslim artists from Patani region, and many of them were women!
It was really touching to 'hear' their expressions: the anxiety, the frustration, the sorrow and (a tiny speck of ) hope underlying those intricate artworks, visuals, and meaningful installations.
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| By Jehabdulloh Jehsorhoh Image of two women encountering 'death' as symbolized by a tombstone between them |
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| The installation in front is by Jehabdulloh Jehsoroh 89 tombstones representing the number of death toll during the Tak Bai incident. The artist brought the soil from Patani |
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| The only 'happy' artwork I remembered from the exhibition. By Jehabdulloh Jehsoroh Pretty is an understatement. |
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| By Ina Phuyuthanon That's Ina praying in the middle of a rubber plantation at a high-risk zone in Yala. Her 10-minutes film was loaded with impactful visuals and sounds: Quranic recitals and sounds of gunfires evoked the graveness and soberness of the situation in Patani region |
Let's pray for better circumstances in the Patani region and wish all the very best for our Muslim friends there. And that the talented Muslim artists from the unstable Patani region will have the freedom to express themselves safely and to a wider audience hopefully.
The art exhibition named "Patani Semasa" is on now until 15th July 2018.
For the rest of us who are more fortunate to be living in a peaceful and happy environment, let's be more thankful and grateful.
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