3 Terms of Bhaba's Post-colonialism Theory Reflected in AYLA: The Daughter of War (2007)

source: IDN Times

About the Movie

            Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017) is a South Korea-Turkey drama movie directed by Can Ulkay. This movie tells about the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950. Five years after World War II. From that issue, Turkey sends a brigade to South Korea as a result of the call for help made by the United Nations. Sergeant Suleyman—as the main character of this movie—meets a little girl who lost her parents on the battlefield. Then, Sergeant Suleyman gives her a name “Ayla” because he met her under the moonlight. Sergeant Suleyman and Ayla became friends although both of them hard to communicate. Unfortunately, their friendship did not take a long time, because Sergeant Suleyman must to return home.

Bhaba's Post-colonialism Theory

This article used Homi K. Bhaba’s post-colonialism theory to analyse the object, Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017). Bhabha as one of experts who has post-colonialism theory, he stated that there are mimicry and ambivalence. Mimicry is an act of imitation from colonialism process, while ambivalence is a representation of colonized consciousness to the new culture brought by the invaders.

The fall of colonialism in literature gave rise a new movement named postcolonial. According to Gina et al. (2020) based on Makaryk (2015) claimed that postcolonial theory is a term for a set of strategies theoretical and critical used toresearching culture (literature, politics, history, and so on) of the colonies European countries and their relations with other countries in the world.

Desire is the basis of mimicry. The appearance of mimicry becomes one of the most elusive and effective strategies of colonial power. According to Bhabha (1994) mimicry is the sign of a double articulation, a complex strategy of reform, regulation and discipline to visualize power. As Lacan said, mimicry is like camouflage, it is not a repression harmonization of difference, but a form of resemblance, that differs from presence by displaying it in part, metonymically.

As a double articulation, mimicry raises ambivalence as a form of the colonized's awareness of the new culture brought by the colonizers. Then, the ambivalence of mimicry suggests that the fetishized colonial culture is potentially becomes the rebels (Bhabha, 1994).

Analysis of Bhaba's Theory in AYLA: The Daughter of War

1. Mimicry 

Gina et al. (2020) based on Child and William, stated that mimicry is a form of resistance from the colonized that comes from potential subversive placed in the area between mimicry and ridicule. First, this movie shown Ayla imitated the Turkish soldiers when they were marching.

Soldiers           : “Fifteen … sixteen. Seventeen … eighteen.”

Ayla                : “Fifteen … sixteen. Seventeen … eighteen.”

And Ayla also pay attention and following them in a marching. She also knows how to end a report in a marching.

2. Ambivalence 

The ambivalence of colonial authority repeatedly turns from mimicry becomes threat a difference. This ambivalence shows when Sergeant Suleyman hard to leave Ayla. Because he was staying in South Korea for a several times, so when he had to return home, he could not leave Ayla alone. It was so difficult for him. Finally, it makes Sergeant Suleyman to take a risk—hide Ayla in his suitcase.