New Straits Times Wednesday, July 28, 2004
COLOURFUL GUIDE TO OUR ARTS AND LANGUAGES
The Encyclopedia of Malaysia' series introduces two new volumes –one gives an overview of the performing arts and the second delves into the history of the languages of Malaysians. NURJEHAN MOHAMED turns the pages.
Malaysia is home to a myriad of languages and art forms thanks to the diverse cultural background of the people living here. The newly-released eight and ninth volumes of the Encyclopedia of Malaysia encompass these softer aspects of Malaysia, all too often regarded as unimportant.
Volume Eight,Performing Arts of Malaysia, includes various forms of theatre, dance, music as well as films and television drama.It also charts our progress in the performing arts from before the eleventh century to the present. Edited by professor Dr Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof of Universiti Malaya, its contributors include representatives from Badan Warisan Malaysia, Akademi Seni Kebangsaan, several universities and Abinaya Shetra Dance Company.
Find out more about our wayang kulit (shadow play) and ulek mayang dance, the traditional dances and healing ceremonies of Sabah and Sarawak, Chinese opera, Tamil drama, bhagra and the music of the orang asli.
This volume outlines the evolution of the performing arts in Malaysia as elements were introduced by immigrants and later assimilated.
The ninth volume, Languages and Literature, discusses the origins of the languages used in Malaysia as well as the uses of language in oral and printed storytelling.
There are about 80 languages spoken in Malaysia. These include various indigenous dialects and the four main languages – Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English.This volume delves into the dynamics and the evolution of language here.
The editor of this volume is Professor Datuk Dr Asmah Omar from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris and contributors include professionals and academics.
Languages and Literature is broken up into five main categories – classifying language, languages diversity, literary heritage, modern literature and language planning and use. The reader is guided through the history of local languages, as well as their uses and traditions.
The Encyclopedia of Malaysia series, published by Editions Didier Millet, is a work-in-progress which began in 1994.
With its straightforward, engaging manner and lots of colourful photographs, the series is a pleasure to read and promises to be a priceless documentation of Malaysian life.