Events
CELUP
Sofie Buligis (Singapore)
Fringe Commission • World Premiere
Book Now↗Celup is a Malay girl’s thoughts on not feeling Malay enough.
The only actor is Sofie Buligis. Sofie has to do tasks to help her feel “more Malay”. She will ask you, the audience, to help her. It will be a funny and sincere show.
Sofie will reflect on things like:
- her clumsy accent when she speaks Malay
- how many Malays feel that they are not as good as others
- that even though being Malay comes with certain challenges, she’s still proud to be Malay
Celup is Sofie’s love letter to anyone who has ever struggled with a language that was meant to be their mother tongue.
After the 8pm show on 23 January 2026, there will be a talk with the artists. If you need speech to text interpretation for the talk, please email us at info@singaporefringe.com by 5 December 2025.
Artist Statement
I am a young Malay woman. The work explores my struggle with cultural identity in Singapore. I grew up in a mixed-race family. The label on my identity card is “Malay”. But I don’t agree with the cultural baggage tied to this label. It hides my mixed heritage. I am Javanese, Boyanese, and Pakistani. Our race is usually simplified in society. My work shows the layers and inner conflict many Malays face. I go beyond the usual talk of cultural pride. I confront shame, and the learned feelings of not being good enough. These affect how we see ourselves. Celup wants to heal us from these thoughts. I want a space to talk openly about identity and belonging. It deals with my past and is also a love letter to my community. It is messy, has many sides, and worthy of making sense of.
Hearing you made me feel seen and less alone
— Audience response to an early iteration of Celup in March 2025
Celup is a Malay girl’s musings on not feeling Malay enough.
In this interactive one-woman show, Sofie Buligis embarks on a quest towards becoming a little more Malay. With humour and heart, she reflects on her kekok accent, the cultural baggage that comes with her ethnicity and the internalised racism so many in the Malay community face.
At its core, Celup is Sofie’s love letter to anyone who has ever struggled with the awkward twist of their tongue around a language that was meant to be their mother tongue.
Supported by BinjaiTree
There will be a dialogue with the artists after the 8pm performance on 23 January 2026, with speech to text interpretation available upon request. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com by 5 December 2025.
Artist Statement
My work explores the complexities of being a young Malay woman navigating cultural identity in Singapore. Growing up in a mixed-race family, I grapple with the cultural baggage tied to being labelled “Malay” on my identity card—a label that can obscure the rich mix of Javanese, Boyanese, and Pakistani heritage within. In a society where racial categories are often simplified, my work highlights the nuances and internal contradictions many Malays face. I move beyond the usual rhetoric of cultural pride to confront the shame and internalised racism that can shape our self-perception. My work seeks to heal inherited insecurities and open space for more honest conversations about identity and belonging. It is both a reckoning with my past and a love letter to my community—messy, multifaceted, and worthy of deeper understanding.
Dates & Duration
22 – 23 January 2026, 8pm
24 January 2026, 5pm & 8pm
45 minutes with no intermission
Venue
Practice Space 实践空间 (54 Waterloo Street, S187953)
Language
English & Malay
Tickets
$38
*20% discount for students, NSF, senior citizens and PwD cardholders
Eligible for SG Culture Pass credits! Use your $100 SG Culture Pass credits for ticket purchases. Visit sgculturepass.gov.sg for more information.
Rating
To be advised
Accessibility Features
· Open captions in English
· Relaxed performance on 24 January 2026, 5pm
· Speech to text interpretation for post-show dialogue upon request
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