“Kembara Stories and Food Trail” series brought a whole new experience and outlook to the familiar locations in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (DTKL) as the small groups of participants enjoyed tours and migrant cuisines in the shoes of migrant individuals who reside in Kuala Lumpur. Well received by the netizens, the tour series officially kickstarted in September.

Spearheaded by Project Future Malaysia’s Kevin Bathman, Faculty of Creative Industries (FCI) Dean Dr David Tneh Cheng Eng, and FCI academic Dr Swagata Sinha Roy, the project aimed to provide a platform for the migrant communities to share their stories of working and living in Malaysia to the public. It also aimed to celebrate the diversity in Malaysia by enabling the migrant communities to share their stories, creating meaningful connections between the public and the migrant communities.

In the project’s effort to pursue spatial, social, and community rejuvenation in DTKL, the project received funding from Think City, a consultancy and social purpose organisation aiming to make Malaysian cities people-friendly, resilient and liveable. The pitching for the project started as early as December 2022 and the preparation officially commenced in April 2023.

The tours took place every Saturday in September 2023. Each week revolved around a unique theme and a guest tour guide from a migrant community. The participants were brought on narrative tours via the perspectives of Manoj (Nepal, 2 September), Ana Liza (Philippines, 9 September), Amirah (Indonesia, 16 September), and Nadia (Bangladesh, 23 September). To bring the participants a detailed and insightful experience, each tour session was limited to 15 participants. With a fee of RM60, the participants were offered an immersive experience encompassing migrant cultures in the land of Malaysia, which potentially enhanced their understanding of migrant communities residing in the country.

The two-hour programme included an hour of tour session and an hour of food testing. The first hour conveyed the first core of the project, “Kembara Stories”, which engaged the participants in a familiar yet insightful tour around various spots in DTKL as the guest tour guides shared their stories, knowledge and viewpoints. The second hour of the programme, meanwhile, embodied the essence of the second core, “Food Trail”. The participants were invited to partake in lunch and story sessions at Dou Houz, in which the guest tour guide offered their insight into their culture, cuisine, life in Malaysia, life stories and even the participants’ questions while enjoying the assortment of cuisines catered from the guest tour guides’ restaurants of choice within the respective migrant communities.

Threads of connections were built between the public and the migrant communities as the September series of “Kembara Stories and Food Trail” reached its conclusion. Through the viewpoints of migrant individuals, the participants gained a further understanding of their hardship, joy and lifestyle while living in a country far from their native countries, not to mention, a novel viewpoint of DTKL. Tentatively, the team behind the project aim to continue their effort by bringing forth another series of tours, which will likely feature more individuals from diverse migrant communities.

For more information, a personalised map including various migrant restaurants and stalls in DTKL was created for those who are interested in understanding or perhaps satisfying their taste buds with migrant cuisines. Other information such as guides, project website, and media coverage was also included in the following link: https://linktr.ee/kembarastoriesandfoodtrail