On invisibilised intersectionality: We are not the same

We are a social species on a social planet: relationality is everything. Power, politics and governance are embedded in the way ecosystems evolve and grow — natural or human.

Intersectionality is about recognising and acknowledging our unique, complex relationalities. Intersectionality is about recognising the many worlds within us.

Yes, I’m talking about race and racism. I’m also talking about culture and hegemony.

Intersectional activism, especially in environmentalism, is a show of opposition to the One World world sold by Western civilisation — rebelling for our very survival.

Taman Negara (“national park” in Malay) was established in 1938/1939 as the King George V National Park after Theodore Hubback lobbied the sultans of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan to create a protected area. With a total area of 4,343 km², it is one of Earth’s oldest deciduous rainforests, estimated to be more than 130 million years old. (Photo credit: Ihab, 2015)

Let me start by recognising that heritage confusion is experienced by all of us, as a global legacy of the ongoing colonial project. This can show up in different ways, e.g.

“I’m disconnected from my traditional roots.”

“I don’t know who my ancestors were, or where my ancestral lands are.”

“I don’t know the plants that grow in my bioregion, or the animals that once thrived within it.”

The system of colonial violence is there, in your DNA, in your body, in your being. It’s there in your culture. It’s there in your lifestyle, your behaviour. It’s there in your mind.