What quiet stories rest within objects and old texts, waiting for us to listen?
Join guest speaker Zinnurain Nasir as he shares his experiences in curating exhibitions through material culture and Jawi sources, and how these can become tools for storytelling and perspective-making rather than just objects on display. Drawing from his work in museums and heritage spaces, Zinn will reflect on the practical challenges and possibilities of decolonising exhibition frameworks beyond theory, asking how we can create spaces that are more inclusive, participatory, and community-driven. He will also discuss what it means to work with Jawi sources today, and how these texts can move beyond being static or purely archival, instead becoming dynamic vessels for new narratives and connections. Hear from student curators Rukhsana Bi and Nur Insyirah on their own journeys in the Decolonial Dialogues space, exploring new ways of telling stories through materials, texts, and lived experiences.
This conversation invites us to rethink how we engage with heritage, question dominant narratives, and imagine more expansive ways of curating. Reimagine how libraries, collections, and exhibitions can become spaces for deeper conversations and collective meaning-making.
Visit the Exhibition
This current iteration of
Decolonial Dialogues features
Perempuan Melayu...Biadab?, a decolonial exploration of colonial and self-representations of Malay women. The exhibition interrogates colonial narratives by centering empowering works and images of Malay women.

NUS Libraries’
Decolonial Dialogues, a new collaborative learning space within the Singapore-Malaysia Collection at NUS Central Library (Level 5). In the heart of our commitment to decoloniality lies the recognition and re-evaluation of dominant
histories and hegemonic narratives. Hence, this initiative aims to spotlight our rare collection of colonial-era primary documents while serving as a platform to engage critically with these resources through a decolonial methodology.