Mendaki (To climb) is Faizal Abdullah’s unflinching solo performance reclaiming his Muslim-Malay-Singaporean identity from colonial myths, state narratives and disappearing heritage. Part performance-lecture, part cultural love letter, it slices through history, identity and language with wit, rage and unexpected tenderness. 

Over the course of an hour, Faizal shifts between himself and his alter-egos, inviting you into a world where history is carefully curated, identity is state-regulated, and being Muslim-Malay in Singapore can sometimes feel like quiet rebellion. From colonial treaties to National Service, from void deck weddings to National Day parades,personal history collides with political inheritance, and lost narratives are brought to life.

You’ll learn, laugh, and question what you know about the little red dot that is Singapore. Mendaki is an urgent act of memory and resistance; a bold stand for language, belonging and the refusal to disappear.

2023 Eclipse Award winner.