Censorship Chronology

The MY Art Memory Project Censorship Chronology is a record of arts and culture censorship in Malaysia. View by timeline or scroll down to sort cases by year and genre.

Censorship is a complex topic – there is arguably more to it than meets the eye in terms of power dynamics – but a useful working definition is when materials (such as publications and films) are examined for objectionable matter, and material considered sensitive or harmful is suppressed or deleted (Merriam-Webster dictionary).

This Chronology includes documentation of the outright banning or censoring of arts and culture. It also documents cases where individuals or groups are prevented from enacting their rights to freedom of expression in the artistic or cultural space. The Chronology further includes cases where there was a clear intent to censor, and actions taken towards that end, but the work ultimately escaped censorship for a variety of reasons. Even where there is no final act of censorship, controversies over arts and culture provide valuable data on the attempts, rationale and function of censorship and the responses to the same.

Each entry is by nature brief, designed to lodge the event/incident into the public record, and hopefully instigate further research and documentation. Laws, regulations and the governing or implementing bodies that enact arts censorship will be added to this Chronology, as the site develops.

The information contained in the MyArtMemory Project Censorship Chronology is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Where available, links to sources are provided. If the links are inactive, please do contact us. Please also do contact us if there are any inaccuracies, or if you have additional information or documents to contribute. Help us to grow this vital archive by sending us verified information of arts censorship by contacting us.

NB: Censorship Chronology Disclaimer and MAMP’s General Terms of Use.