With Malaysia Day just around the corner, there is a lot of conversation happening about East Malaysia. But why do Sabah and Sarawak mostly come to our minds only when it is time to celebrate Malaysia Day? The arts and culture industries, too, are not exempt from being problematic with issues like inclusion and representation when it comes to Sabah and Sarawak. So do artists and creators from East Malaysia truly feel like they are being included in the larger national conversation? We speak to Alena Murang and Nadira Ilana to get their perspectives on being artsmakers from East Malaysia.