Dreams of diaspora
However, changing a law is just a show of "hard power." To overturn the prejudice of Taiwanese society will rely on emotional exchange and the "soft power" of winning hearts and minds.
To this end, the tireless women of TASAT have begun taking a new tack, with 20-plus women forming the "TASAT Troupe," which will address social issues and the fight for recognition through the medium of theatre.
The troupe held nine months of workshops, during which they had no director, no script, and just a single member of the Assignment Theatre Group helping them learn the physical side of acting. Finally last December the troupe put on a public performance with a script developed by the members through group discussions, and it received a rapturous welcome.
Put on to an audience of over 400 in a 200-person venue, Dreams of Diaspora told that tale so familiar to the women of TASAT, the trials of being a foreign spouse: financial problems in the husband's family, the problem of finding work while not knowing much Mandarin, the stares and glares of passersby, and the impossible dream of returning to a home they are so nostalgic for.
Their second show, Kite in the Storm, is a similarly self-penned script, telling the tale of a Vietnamese woman who comes to Taiwan to find work and support her family back home. The factory she works at goes bankrupt, leaving her with a huge, unpaid high-interest loan, and so she goes on the run, feeling this is her only option. Things only get worse, until ultimately she dies in an accident, her family left to sadly travel to Taiwan to reclaim her body.
When the curtain falls, not a dry eye is left in the house, on-stage or off. Renowned Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao-hsien praised Kite in the Storm as a "simple, moving" story.
Not only is the troupe about to go on tour, notes Hsia Hsiao-chuan, this year they're also expecting to release a TASAT-produced documentary, as well as inviting groups from both the public and private sectors to join conferences. Additionally, they plan to continue to push for reforms to Taiwan's immigration law, addressing, for instance, the issue of the citizenship process for non-nationals who have dependent children and are either widowed or divorced due to domestic violence; these women can remain in the country because they have children, but can no longer seek citizenship through the process they would have as a married non-national, instead having to provide the same proof of financial support as others seeking citizenship. This seems unfair on these women who have had to become single parents through no choice of their own, and whether or not these women will be able to get the equal treatment they deserve may depend on the next wave of hard work from TASAT.
Hsia, who always bears in mind how much there is left to fight for, recalls one occasion where she and others from TASAT were invited abroad to share their experiences and tell their stories. One woman recounted how her own family had been so poor that she had had to give up her hopes of pursuing higher education, and it was only with great misgivings that she had married so far from home, where she had ended up suffering mistreatment amid misunderstandings and prejudice. Choking back her tears, she declared that even if the problems were many, she still wanted to get out and learn, because throughout her life she'd prided herself on her never-say-die spirit.
That never-say-die spirit seems the best summary of the stories of so many of our sisters from across Southeast Asia, and that same spirit is what will ultimately lead them and TASAT to the promised land they hope for.
"Southeast-Asian sisters stand as one! Side by side we're never alone!" From boosting one another's confidence during rehearsals to finally taking the stage, the members of the TASAT Troupe have rediscovered themselves through performing stories of real life, as well as finding a way to stimulate dialogue with Taiwanese society.
Indonesian Lee Hui-fen says that like all Indonesians she loves spicy food, but she found Taiwanese chili sauce more salty than hot, so she began producing her own sauce, "Asal Medan," at home. This sauce has now become a trademark product of TASAT, selling 3,000 jars a year.