December 18 marks International Migrants Day – an occasion dedicated to recognising the invaluable contributions of millions of migrant workers globally. Bringing the focus closer to home, Singapore stands as a host to approximately 1.4 million migrant workers, forming a huge part of our island's workforce.
Within this community lies various cultures, personalities, and untold stories that often escape our awareness. Despite crossing paths with these individuals regularly and benefiting from the fruits of their labour, how much do we truly know about them as unique individuals and the world they've constructed among us?
It is precisely at this juncture that this newly-released photo book, On Sundays, We Play, steps in. Crafted by a team of four sociologists and photographers – Selvaraj Velayutham, James Loganathan, Kristine Aquino, and Amanda Wise – the photo book shines a spotlight on a distinctive community: a group of women migrant domestic workers (mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia and India) that gather for a game of volleyball on Sundays at the site of Singapore’s old airport in Kallang.
The book presents a sequence of captivating documentary-style photographs that delve into the core of this weekend “ritual”. Accompanying these visuals are literary pieces including short personal essays and creative poetry contributed by the migrant volleyballers. These writings offer reflections on the profound impact of Sunday volleyball games. They delve beyond the surface, revealing it to be more than just a recreational activity. Instead, it emerges as a shared activity for community bonding, offering a comforting semblance of home within a foreign place.
“...we started thinking about more experimental mediums that could communicate the beauty and colour of the social world of this remarkable group of women.”
How it all started
When asked how the idea for the book came about, Kristine Aquino, urban ethnographer whose research focuses on global Filipino migration, shares, “The book comes from a larger international research project where we (Selvaraj, Amanda and Kristine) have been looking at the potential of leisure and informal sport in facilitating social inclusion for marginalised migrants in the cities of Singapore, Sydney and London.
We've been using photography to document our observations, and after many years of spending time with the domestic worker volleyball community in Singapore, we started thinking about more experimental mediums that could communicate the beauty and colour of the social world of this remarkable group of women.”
The book was also launched in partnership with HOME Singapore. “We searched for a community partner in Singapore to strengthen the advocacy dimensions behind the photobook. We eventually partnered with HOME Singapore, who has been running a year-long Rest Day campaign that advocates for a 24-hour rest day for migrant domestic workers. There was a perfect synergy between their campaign and the aims of our book,” she says.
“We decided to focus on the women migrant domestic workers at Kallang because their experience had such a compelling story to tell about the city and what can flourish at the urban margins.”
Zooming in to the stories of female migrant volleyballers
Despite their broader project encompassing research on a wider array of migrant workers, the decision was made to centre the book specifically on the stories of female migrant volleyballers. “For this photo book, we decided to focus on the women migrant domestic workers at Kallang because their experience had such a compelling story to tell about the city and what can flourish at the urban margins. It's a truly inspiring story about social resilience. Old Terminal Lane has fallen into disuse among Singaporeans. And the fact that many Singaporeans don't frequent this old airport site is what makes it so special for these women who are not always welcome in other parts of the city. It is more than a place to play sport, it is a space to build community, social resilience and friendship,” she says.
Throughout the book-making journey, Kristine shares that working on the content was the easiest part of the bulk. “The women are so giving of their time to share their stories and share their personalities on camera. And we really wanted it to be a participatory process and something they took ownership of – that this was a book about them, with stories written by them, and photography that they had fun with,” she says.
We hope that the wider community can help ensure the women and their volleyball leagues find a new home once the Kallang Riverside Park redevelopment happens.
On Sundays, We Play hopes to shift the misconceptions and preconceived notions about migrant workers, aiming to illuminate the reality that they too are human beings just like us. Kristine and team hopes that migrant workers can be seen for more than just the labour they perform. On top of that, she adds, “We also hope it raises awareness about the importance of migrant domestic workers being given the time and space to take their rest and leisure. The Kallang precinct is slated for redevelopment in the near future. We hope that the wider community can help ensure the women and their volleyball leagues find a new home once the Kallang Riverside Park redevelopment happens.”
'On Sundays, We Play' is up for purchase at Ethos Books. Proceeds from the photo book sales at the exhibition will go directly to assisting the women's Sunday leagues and charity games.
