CULTURAL IMPRINTS IN INRASARA’S “THE PURIFICATION FESTIVAL IN APRIL”: RITUALS, MEMORY, AND IDENTITY

Abstract

Inrasara’s poetry collection “The Purification Festival in April”, first published in 2002, is a notable work that won the Southeast Asian Literary Award (2005). This article examines “The Purification Festival in April” from a cultural perspective, focusing on four aspects: (1) cultural imprints manifested through rituals, (2) memory, (3) community identity, and (4) the artistic expression of cultural imprints. The collection reflects the religious practices and collective consciousness of the Cham community in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam, creating a dialogical space between tradition and modernity. By bringing Cham cultural elements into contemporary poetic expression, Inrasara gives the collection a distinctive voice rooted in local cultural experience. At the same time, the poems address broader questions of heritage and cultural identity. Drawing on mythology, cultural studies, and poetics, this study uses textual analysis to examine how Cham cultural identity is represented in the collection.