For the tenth monthly online Wacana Warisan Series (WWS) organised by the Malay Heritage Foundation (MHF), Dr. Azhar Ibrahim conducted a 90-minute webinar on the topic of Menyanggah Romantisme dalam Wacana Warisan Melayu (Countering Romanticism in Discourses on Malay Heritage). He is a professor from the Department of Malay Studies, at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Vice-Chairman of the MHF Board. There will be two more webinars by Dr. Azhar before WWS concludes for 2021. This session was delivered mostly in Malay with a few quotations in English.
Saturday, 30 October 2021 — Dr. Azhar opened the session with an interesting webinar, titled, “Countering Romanticism in Discourses on Malay Heritage” for the tenth session of WWS.
He started the webinar with the quote “Tradition is something which is born from the needs of the present but seeks legitimacy by claiming that it comes from the past” and switching “tradition” with “heritage” would also be sensible and reasonable. This means that heritage also comes from current needs and not just out of nowhere. He reminds the community not to take what is claimed to be heritage as it is just because it has been passed down or labelled as tradition hence it has to be continued. He urged the community to reflect and think about where heritage comes from, its purpose, and who is behind the making of it because certain heritage has certain ideologies and intentions for its continuity.
In relation to his title, he pointed out that heritage that is understood romantically has some problems and shortages. This does not include heritage that empowers the community. By being aware that heritage has dimensions of formation and legitimacy of power, will then train the community not to be naive to accept heritage as it is
Dr. Azhar gave an ample example list of heritage that is still being preserved and carried out today such as traditional dance, poetry, traditional culinary in comparison to the heritage that has diminished such as traditional houses, games, traditional carpentry. He mentions that heritage that has diminished does not mean anything negative but is merely stating that it is no longer practised. He acknowledges that the preserved heritage has evolved to suit the community’s needs where he gave an example of how previously it was possible for the extended family to invite their guests for their nieces’ or nephews’ wedding but this is no longer accepted today. He then gave another list of examples of heritage that have been preserved, revived, and developed further such as Wayang Kulit, Canting batik, and Angklung. This list also includes Dikir Barat, being continued by young activists of heritage and even introducing women into this musical form.
While some heritage remains lost and forgotten, some are introduced into the community. Some examples such as the concept of open house and green packets did not exist previously but are a significant part of Malay culture and heritage. The list also included Nasyid, a popular musical style containing stories and advice taught in Islam, that was introduced and continued to be produced and consumed by the community and has been included as part of our heritage. This shows that heritage is dynamic and is developing.
Dr. Azhar gave a possible explanation that some heritage examples were not given the legitimacy of power hence why some heritage entities remain relevant while some are not, even though they are rich in values. On the other hand, Dr. Azhar observed some heritage that became a trend such as horseback riding, archery, and wearing of tanjak. These examples are previously owned and practised by a certain group but are now seen as part of our ancestors and are consumed by anyone of any social standing. It highlights how the interpretation of heritage is open to changes and thus, what is more, important is to know its context and the reason why it is selected.
To sum up his webinar on the aspects of heritage that should be given attention, Dr. Azhar highlighted 4 points towards the end of his webinar:
- Heritage is a process to create ways to understand and engage with the present.
- Heritage is an experience that is not static or ‘frozen in time.
- There is a need to understand the dynamic characteristics of heritage in the context of time.
- The link between heritage and history needs careful attention due to possibilities such as deliberate distortions for ideological purposes.
As usual, the tenth WWS webinar is followed by a closing Q&A section, where Dr. Azhar addressed several questions from the virtual audience who tuned in via Zoom and Facebook live.
WWS is a series of lectures that aim to encourage the development of new and alternative approaches to the understanding of Malay history, economy, politics, society, and culture. Beyond the clichés and convenient mainstream narratives, lie many lesser-known facts about the Malay community in Singapore. It is a year-long programme (each lecture runs monthly), comprising 12 sessions from January to December 2021. Participants who register and attend via Zoom for at least 10 sessions will be given a Certificate of Attendance. WWS lectures will mostly be delivered in Malay. Two more WWS webinars are scheduled before the first season concludes in 2021.
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