The Singapore Writers Festival is the region’s premier literary arts festival and for its 25th anniversary, it reflected and provoked audiences with the theme ‘IF’. At their invitation to imagine, ART:DIS collaborated for the fourth time with Jazz Association (Singapore) to present What If ‘I’ Is Not Me – a safe platform for socially marginalised individuals to voice their true selves and raise awareness of the differing issues faced by their communities.

Through closed-door workshops, 7 persons with and without disabilities aged 30–70 years old were given space to let their voices be heard. With artists-facilitators Shalom Lim, Dr Dawn-joy Leong and Claire Teo leading the conversation, participants uncovered the power dynamics that mold them to fit into the expectations of society and wrote poems and monologues to express their authentic identities. 

These literary works were revealed in a showcase at the Arts House where with heartbreaking honesty, participants represented themselves for the first time and gave voice to their inner selves. Their moving performance touched many and helped strengthen the fabric of society by embracing inclusivity. Read their creations here.