The first original opera in English

The long awaited moment.tonite i went to Segi University to view the opera written by renowned Chin San Sooi,a legend of Malaysia theatre like Faridah Merican.its based on the biography No Dram of Mercy based on war heroine Sybil Kathigesu who died after being tortured by the Japanese for treating the MPAJA guerillas ar her husbands clinic in Papan in Perak.Its called Solace of Papan.The venue doesnt do justice to the opera as its not a proper theatre and the accoustics is not as good as KL Pac or Istana Budaya .but the live performance of the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra was awesome as well as the singing by the actors and actresses.This is a more dramatic account of a historical figure unlike the movie Snow in Midsummer which was more like a matter of fact docu drama where the effect of the racial riot of May 13 in the 1960s was recalled through the quest of the victims families who cant find closure due to the unidentified graves and the lack of closure for the victims descendents who due to the cover ups are unable to know what really happened to their parents and siblings.The movie sends a subtle message through a play within a play technique in which the Chinese opera story of a perversion of justice and the malay movie Raja Bersiong shows a bloodthirsty dictator that preys on its citizens.the mix of different dialects and languages shows the multiracial composition of Malaysia well and the use of the peranakan shows how the Chinese and Malay intermingled and accepted both cultures as does the present day story of the protagonist sister's who married a Muslim Malay but still interacts in Chinese with her.The style of a documentary show tells us this is a historical factual account not a fictional tale. But Solace in Papan has more entertainment value as the songs are moving and the motivation of Sybil came from her strong faith in her religion.I was lucky at the end of the opera to meet personally the writer of the opera Chin San Sooi talking with. Elaine Daly.I told her her grandaunt Sybil was an admirable woman who suffered for what she stood for.imagine Elaine Daly and Sybil Kathigesu nee Sybil Daly have blood ties.thats history and the lesson for us younger generation to keep the peace in our nation.Lpoking at the videos on social media due to rising ultra right wing sentiments,thete is a need to rein in those fanning the flames of race and religion to the young generation.the social cohesion is strained by bipartisan politicking and we sure dont want to descend to what is happening in the US from police brutality to rampant violence.The acid attack on a footballer in a shopping mall is a sign of how dangerous hate speech can become

or the killing of policemen in a police station indicates public security can have lapses.