Mak Yong, a Unesco ‘Masterpiece’ and one of Malaysia’s oldest forms of dance-dramas April 16, 2020 – Posted in: In The News

Dinesh Kumar Maganathan If you have ever wanted to discover the story behind Mak Yong, one of the country’s oldest forms of dance-dramas from northern Malaysia, this movement control order (MCO) period might be the best time. Traditional arts and culture organisation Pusaka, together with Walkabout Asia, has recently presented an online video series about Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari and community based in Kuala Besut, Terengganu. “Any time is a good time for Malaysians…

Reviving the kampung house January 13, 2020 – Posted in: In The News

Association hopes to boost appreciation of Malay architecture 28 Dec 2019 Nuradzimmah Daim WHEN one mentions Malay architecture, images of wooden village houses with carvings and everything traditional would normally come to mind. But for architect Mior Zawari Hassan, there is more to that. He added that Malay architecture symbolised the community’s innovation and harnessing of nature’s resources, while giving soul to their work that embodied their cultural identity. “While many people say it’s difficult or expensive to build a traditional house…

Up Close and Personal December 5, 2019 – Posted in: In The News

By Regina Hoo Meet Rosnan Rahman, Malaysia’s only active male Pak Yong dancer. A USM architecture graduate, Rosnan was introduced to the world of Mak Yong by Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin, and took to it like a duck to water. “I fell in love with it — the authenticity and the uniqueness of music, costume, dance and history of Mak Yong is very different from other art forms within the performing arts…

Mak Yong – a rich regional tradition under threat – Posted in: In The News

By Regina Hoo The ancient, ritualistic folk theatre Mak Yong was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in 2005 — a proud ﬁrst for “any Malaysian item of cultural heritage”? But though it is an art form steep in tradition and heritage, Mak Yong surprisingly has no “real” history. Theories have been advanced to explain its origins, but none can be conﬁrmed, says Prof. Datuk Dr Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof,…

The King’s Chinese: how Penang’s ‘Grand Old Man’ Yeap Chor Ee went from penniless barber to one of Asia’s richest men November 18, 2019 – Posted in: In The News

by Zoe Low Chinese migrant Yeap Chor Ee became one of Malaya’s most prominent men His story is being told for the first time by his great-granddaughter When Yeap Chor Ee left his hometown in southern China in 1885 to seek his fortune in Southeast Asia – then known as Nanyang, or the southern seas – he was just one of 125,000 people fleeing a land struck by famine and rebellion. By the time of…

WU LIEN-TEH The Father of Modern Medicine in China November 14, 2019 – Posted in: In The News

Koh King Kee This article first appeared in our February 2013 issue.In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we put together for you in this issue some of our most memorable articles. Virtually unknown to most Malaysians, Penangite Dr Wu Lien-Teh was a highly respected epidemiologist and plague fighter in the international medical fraternity. His life story and his heroic feats remain the stuff of legend. Born in Penang in 1879 to a family of immigrants from Taishan,…

Lessons From My School: A memoir of Malaysia’s missions schools – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

Noel Wong @ FMT Lifestyle -November 13, 2019 7:00 AM Since their establishment during colonial times, mission schools in Malaysia have long garnered a reputation as institutions of learning with high standards that consistently churn out quality students. Just mention that you are a student of Catholic High School or Methodist Girls School or Convent Bukit Nanas or La Salle School and immediately, people’s expectations of you change. Hundreds of thousands of Malaysian students have passed…

Kelantan’s guidelines turning Mak Yong into ‘something else’ entirely, group says September 30, 2019 – Posted in: In The News

BY EMMANUEL SANTA MARIA CHIN KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Strict guidelines imposed by the Kelantan government on Mak Yong performances, despite recently lifting an almost three-decade-long ban, have seen the art move away from its historical roots, said arts NGO Pusaka. Its chairman Eddin Khoo was quoted by The Star saying the restrictions imposed on Mak Yong, a traditionally female-dominated performance which is distinctive to Kelantan’s history, has seen it transform into “something else”. “After the…

Kelantan lifts Mak Yong ban after two decades, but insists performances must be Shariah-compliant – Posted in: In The News

Published 4 days ago on 25 September 2019 BY ZURAIRI AR KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — The Kelantan state government has reportedly lifted its ban on the traditional dance theatre called Mak Yong today, after more than two decades. New Straits Times reported Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah as saying that performances, however, must adhere to Shariah-compliant requirements and guidelines, such as making it compulsory for performers to cover up. “There must also be no…

‘Islamkan’ Mak Yong kalau mahu di Kelantan, kata PAS – Posted in: In The News

26 September 2019 OLEH ALIFF FIKRI AZIZ KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Sept — Kerajaan Kelantan menggesa tarian tradisional Mak Yong di negeri itu “diislamkan” untuk persembahan. Malah timbalan menteri besarnya berkata kalau boleh, perkara tidak sesuai dalam pertunjukan itu juga mesti diubah, lapor Sinar Harian. “Mak Yong pun boleh diislamkan, buang unsur-unsur yang tidak sesuai. Penceritaannya kita ubah sedikit, tidak ada masalah,” kata Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah. “Pejabat mufti sudah keluarkan surat kebenaran apabila dia melihat…

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