A True Malay Night Celebration with UiTM Seri Iskandar Students

In this day and age, it is quite difficult to instill the values of Malay identity into the souls of the younger generation regarding the nation's art and culture. Many young Malays seem to prioritize the cultures of 'Westerners', African Americans, Arabs, and others, as if they have lost their own national identity. This issue is seen as increasingly rampant, and there is concern that as national identity begins to fade, unhealthy influences will be quickly adopted by our youth.

With this awareness, on October 7, 2017, the 'Temasya Malam Melayu Sejati' (True Malay Night Celebration) program was held to coincide with a study visit by students from the Faculty of Architecture, Universiti Teknologi MARA Seri Iskandar, to Pulau Misa Melayu in Kampung Teluk Kepayang. A total of 7 lecturers and 85 students participated in the program at Pulau Misa Melayu, organized by the Perak branch of the Dendang Anak Association.

The program was held to introduce students to Malay performing arts and traditions more closely. Students were also encouraged to understand, appreciate, and cherish traditional Malay culture so it is not forgotten. On that Saturday, the UiTM participants were given training to join in the performances during the True Malay Night Celebration.

The evening program began with guests, consisting of the Kedah Royal Family and the Malaysia Heritage Tourism Association, being paraded in like a royal celebration of old, escorted to the grand hall by spear-wielding warriors, where they were then presented with betel leaves and areca nuts as a sign of respect. The attendees were then treated to performances of traditional Malay songs, dances, and silat demonstrations.

The UiTM participants were divided into groups based on their respective states and asked to perform popular traditional acts from their home states. The True Malay Night Celebration concluded with closing remarks from representatives of the Malaysia Heritage Tourism Association and the Kedah Royal Family. Programs like this should be held more frequently and involve the youth so that the Malay nation recognizes its own culture.

Young people are seen to be more easily attracted to the arts, including vocal music, painting, dance, and so on. The elements applied in such arts should be understood by them so that they can build a clear national identity.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the heirs of the nation do not lose their cultural heritage identity under the pretext of keeping up with the times. Therefore, the task of instilling national cultural heritage, as well as Eastern culture that is full of manners and courtesy, cannot be left entirely to parents and families alone.

The Malay Archipelago Cultural and Music Association of Malaysia (Dendang Anak), or better known as Dendang Anak, has made various efforts to empower the Malay cultural heritage and place it as a core effort to bring Malay culture to the world stage.

Dendang Anak consistently organizes a Weekly Cultural Program at the Pulau Misa Melayu Cultural Heritage Village every Saturday, starting at 9:00 PM, which is called the “True Malay Night” program.