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does afi noor everything?

@afinoor

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wears way too many hats for this little earth
• poetry, feminism, and a fangirl on the beat
#shebringsmonsoon #afiartsees

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A multidisciplinary poet, researcher and Kelantanese based in Kuala Lumpur, Afi Noor writes poetic curation around Malay Muslim girlhood and lived realities against the patriarchy. Having shared her work across KL, Singapore, London and Edinburgh, she wears many hats and tries to shed light on everything — though, ultimately, she admits she’s a fangirl at heart.

✨ Experience Afi Noor at Sacred Grounds Vol IV — tickets available now.

#SacredGrounds #Homecoming #PoetryShow #SpokenWordKL #BbAKEPLACE by @afinoor

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19 days ago

Meet the poets of Sacred Grounds Vol. IV: Homecoming ⛵️

Eight poets, eight journeys, and many different ways of finding our way home.

This lineup brings together seasoned voices, new poets making their debut, and a few voices returning to poetry after some time away. We can’t wait to see what each of them brings to the stage.

Come meet them on 10 October at BbAKEPLACE, as they share original works inspired by BbAKEPLACE. ☕️🥐

🎟️ Early bird tickets at RM80 till this Sat, 19 Sept only!— Link in bio.

#SacredGrounds #Homecoming #PoetryKL #SpokenWordKL #EventsKL by @afinoor

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a month ago

Reading Suara Alam oleh Muhammad Haji Salleh, a poem written in 1995, from his collection aksara usia, sempena kempen #tanahtumpahpuisi #apoeticmalaysia. 🕊️🌳 thinking of all the voices of nature that we are losing and should protect from human corruption - the fires engulfing Kalimantan, the drone from data centres - before all we have left are words that are flimsy copies of it, or dangerously less. by @afinoor

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a month ago

After The Myth (2018) by Afi Noor : 2:43 minutes

For #tanahtumpahpuisi #apoeticmalaysia, campaign by @amirmupalsu, I’m reading a poem I wrote in response to @ajim_juxta’s exhibition, Tugu|Ugut.

Reading this made me reflect on the core themes in most of my poems, revolving around selfhood, grief, and the materiality of the city as a form of environment that I grew up in. This is also to reflect the brittleness of us all, and if we do not seize the day to make things right, to be us so that we can make things right, then we will lose it all.

Anyway, letting this out so that one can move forward. The current haze is as strong as the year we lost our dad (1997). But we didn’t lose ourselves in the years after, did we? We live and continue on living, and we fight. 💨🌬️

*the actual line breaks are different! The poem runs in couplets. I encountered difficulties in fixing the caption formatting here lol sorry by @afinoor

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a month ago

The Shells We Carry (06:40)
By Afi Noor
17 May 2026 • Echoes of Palestine @sumudevents

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Lontaran and performance idea further inspired by lontaran jamrah and @hellohourani ‘s Rock Flight collection
“A rock isn’t a rock Until it is thrown” by @afinoor

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2 months ago

Come what May, with great changes, she is still here. With everything felt, everything created, everything celebrated, she is still here. With every connection, every reveal, every shutter disruption push and pull, she is still here.

“We should not cry for what we want to choose for our body” -@nisarizkya

May was a huge month - a confluence of everything that I am and was, crashing into mere 31 days. I’m still reeling from it (all the way through June). From performing in front of a large audience after so long*, to having difficult but necessary conversations, to all the art that we can still create outside of our screens and from our deepest desires, to take the plunge and be myself, celebrating and meeting friends far and near and real in their own words and ways, all dear to me, all made me in any small way possible. Thank you for revealing who I really am to myself 💜

Performed for @sumudevents with amazing performers • KL Illustration Fair • Tekat di Temuhouse • Odisi Romansa • lots and lots of art galleries • a lil health scare and a huge identity shift • uptown Yong tau foo and Kak som’s nasi kerabu still onz • the people will still be here by @afinoor

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4 months ago

Hosted a workshop on Family Photographs at @designarchive ! I became interested in the subject as I am going through my own personal research, and was curious to see how the collection we have and saved can form more compelling narratives of Malaysia.

Three hours was not enough as most brought engaging stories that broke deep into Malaysia’s various historical points, never mind our own family realisations. Based and against Gillian Rose’s paper, fathers were the family photographers, and the daughters were the ones who find it important to narrate them.

We learned how Malaysians from 1960s-1990s defined achievements via the domestic spaces they chose to share and curate (that word!). Pianos and rattan chairs, cars and living rooms. Also how one preserves the story of their migration - all the way from 1900s, and how the gender roles have shifted.

Another point was also on the effort to archive, and the effort to erase. Some moments seemed like a joyous festivity for a family, while it meant something tragic for others. Who holds the authority and decision to remember, why, and how?Where do all the memories go - still pristine in photo albums, kept hidden in their bedrooms, gathering mold in cupboards, or lost in their graveyard: Amcorp Mall?

Thank you to all the participants/daughters who came and shared! Definitely more can be improved in ways, and am eager to revise it from this session onwards to make it more meaningful. (Sis continuously MEL-ing her way - also this should be a full day workshop lol) Also thanks Zi Hao for generously giving the space, knowledge and listening in while a group of women share their stories.

***

A friend asked me what do I want from all the workshops I do, and I realised I want every session to be a site of activation and sharing, with a little nudge on telling, crafting and making the stories that need to be heard. Even moreso when many voices are being shut down, and harmful narratives get to be accepted and circulated easily compared to ones of hope and actual dignity. If not, why are we given the tools of thought, the tools of communication, and the glimmer of light even in the darkest room? by @afinoor

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4 months ago

Family Photographs as a Site of Collective History

Workshop Facilitator: Afi Noor
Date: 1pm–4pm, Saturday, 23 May 2026
Venue: Malaysia Design Archive, The Zhongshan Building

Fee: RM40 per individual
RSVP is compulsory (link in bio)

Summary:
Family photographs, either with staged poses or candidly taken, define the individuals that make up a family unit. While they are often shared and displayed in domestic spaces, these photographs also serve as a potential source of our collective's history. What happened, within and outside of the family and the frame, when the photograph was taken? Why is it important to document this occasion? Does the background still exist? In this workshop, participants will get the chance to analyse and investigate the historical context of their old printed family photographs. They will consider how intimate family stories could speak to broader social and national issues based on the content, timestamps, and material of these photographs.

The session will encourage both individual and collective research work. Participants are required to bring 2–3 old family photographs and a photocopy of each photograph. Each photograph can include one or more family member(s). The photographs must be taken using analog photography and prior to the rise of digital photography (ideally with the timestamp visible, or the time period made known).

This workshop will include:
(1) collective writing and annotation;
(2) a brief discussion on the reading materials.

Bio:
Afi Noor is a poet, multidisciplinary artist and independent researcher based in Kuala Lumpur. She has read and performed in Malaysia, Singapore, London and at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and was part of British Council's 2024 Cipta Seni Incubator and Rimbun Dahan's 2019 Writer-in-Residence. She was the programme lead for the Musawah Artists Collective, an online mentorship programme for female Muslim artists, writers and filmmakers in South and Southeast Asia. She is currently working on her first poetic curation on Malay Muslim girlhood and lived realities, and is open to curate events between poetry and various disciplines. by @afinoor

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5 months ago

On this year’s Mother’s Day,
All I want to be is to be honest. Your daughter is an oversharing poet. Ha. Samo la kito.

Maybe, for now, I will not appear as the Salihah daughter as you’ve imagined,
But I will gift you a love and self that is honest to God for us to know. I believe a better one will come home soon.

Maybe my wings are not the same as yours that has raised me,
But know that my hand will always be there to hold yours with me.

Selamat Hari Ibu. You have done so much. Don’t worry about me, I will still be here, in any form, regardless.
Cloth or no cloth, kain no kain, tudung no tudung, still anok mok hok mechok in odd moments. Mungkin lagi kuat mechok lepas ni hahahaha.
I love you. Nanti kita solat together k. by @afinoor

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5 months ago

“Nothing beads a crafty Raya.” - wish I said this first but Esmond said it best.
Raya, recalibrate, rejoice, and closer to realignment.
Btw the first top is me cosplaying as Zhongshan building’s floor tiles by @afinoor

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6 months ago

26.03.28: thank you @official_monsta_x for coming back to beraya in Malaysia after 7 years, and for delivering an explosive, if not better, show than the first time I saw you back in 2019, now with mostly your self-composed songs. So many things have happened. I found my niche/profession, got to work for a cause that I deeply believed in, travelled to place I never thought I’d be, and develop my own writing and performance. Now I get to enjoy with all the friends I’ve made throughout the years 💙

If my late dad was into The Beatles, then it’s no surprise that his daughter would inherit his fanaticism. What led me to stick to Monsta X was not only their talent and energy (felt closer to a rock concert btw!), but their humour, professionalism and care for the audience. Despite the 25 min delay, it gave us time to pray Maghrib & yet Kihyun insisted on apologising deeply for it. They also took on a lot of Malay slangs effortlessly. Props to the translator for getting the nuances right & riff off from MX’s teasing!

Malaysian crowd is always the best among all, and I’m not even being biased. Even though I’ve seen them in Seoul & they were great, felt like something was missing. Kihyun said this is the energy they’ve been hunting for in the past seven years of touring (and they’ve toured A LOT). Even Jooheon said that this concert healed his burnout!!! 🐝

A fandom is a place for Malay girlhood to thrive, especially when we can make the rules ourselves and see each other for our talent, creativity & joy. My ultimate #workhardfangirlharder contribution is to work on the fan video project to celebrate their return, and the Malaysian Monbebe who are equally great. Many of us found solace in each other during the pandemic, so I want to highlight those who have made each other happy. I was on the floor crying to see the boys AND fans so moved by it.

Thank you Monsta X and Malaysian Monbebe for giving me the most beautiful moments in life. Our love is two-ways indeed. To more than 11 years running. Jwanjwih datang lagi dengan Changkyun. 💙 time to put down the #workhardfangirlharder tag & move forward, focusonkyun out!

나 기억할게 이 모든 건 아름다웠었던 걸
나를 잊지 말길 간절히 기도해 💜 by @afinoor

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7 months ago

Selamat Hari Raya and Eid Mubarak to all. Seeking for forgiveness due to all my wrongdoings, my errors, my negligence. May we get to learn from each other and celebrate Ramadhan again next year.

This Ramadhan was a quiet one, a liminal space between the old world as we knew it and the new one. I spent my time mostly inside, wondering how can I contribute to the world next. I returned to surah Ar-Rahman but with more intentions, thanks to @drsofiarehman’s course, and I managed to memorise and store 45 verses inside my heart. We completed reading the Qur’an together, and I get to meet the Surah in its entirety. There are many things I’d like say, but you can read it at my substack 💫

It was not entirely full of ease either. We see the two genocidal states continue to unleash their powers in desperation. We lost so many. But I sincerely believe that this is the beginning of a dismantling of an exploitative system that should no longer work on us. May we get to see their collapse, and may we get to see Palestine and many others be liberated.

🌸🌺 floral filter by Wanita Venus @adlyn_sofea by @afinoor

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7 months ago