White skin equals beauty in Malaysia, and single women use borak
everyday to find a spouse. Mothers apply it to their children’s skin
because they are constantly exposed to the sunlight.
was greeted by dozens of smiles. The little group
of children gathering around me were over the
moon with joy as I produced a packet of biscuits
from the bag, bought a few seconds earlier from
one of the shops. I’m used to being asked for food
and money, but by distributing the biscuits and
exchanging a few friendly looks, the Bajau