Cementing ties with Asean cultural show

A SIMPLE but tasteful Asean-themed performance was held at the Malaysian Tourism Information Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

Called the Asean Music Extravaganza 2015, this cultural event was intended to cement ties between Malaysia and fellow Asean member states.

Organised by the Tourism and Culture Ministry, the two-hour long programme featured acts from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines.

Notable performances came from Cambodia, which presented a dance featuring two giant peacocks, or what they call a courting dance between a peacock and a peahen.

The accompanying music was mixed from two different pieces called Large Red Ants Harvest dance and Peacock Dance, both depicting the rural way of life in Cambodia’s provinces.

Indonesia’s Percik Gita Nusantarawas sent a delegation from SMK Musik Perguruan Cikini, Jakarta, to present a rendition of a Sundanese song entitled Entog Mulang, which tells of a woman’s dilemma whether to stay with the man she loves or leave him and return to her hometown.

The Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia, led by Mohd Yazid Zakaria, featured a sitar player who provided a nice touch to the evening’s proceedings.The Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia, led by Mohd Yazid Zakaria, featured a sitar player who provided a nice touch to the evening’s proceedings.The Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia, led by Mohd Yazid Zakaria, featured a sitar player who provided a nice touch to the evening’s proceedings.

The combination of traditional instruments such as saron, gambang, kendang and karinding with the synthesiser and keyboard produced a haunting and mysterious effect.

As expected, Singapore’s Ding Yi Music Company gave a delightful performance showcasing the republic’s multiracialism via a medley that included Chan Mali Chan, Munnaeru Vaalibaa and Xi Shui Chang Liu, as well as Dick Lee’s Home. The medley ended with Di Tanjung Katong, in which the Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia conducted by Mohd Yazid Zakaria also joined in the fun.

Fair maidens of Myanmar dancing to a soothing song.

The most enthralling performance for the night was from the Philippines, represented by Bayang Barrios and the Naliyagan band.

A member of a tribal minority in Mindanao called Monobo, Bayang is a world music performance artiste who is fully at home with the rhythmic backdrop of various percussion instruments.

Well-known for her songs of love for Mother Earth, Bayang’s AnakAsya (Child of Asia) from her groundbreaking album Alon perfectly captures the spirit of Asean, while her second song KaTriboko (My Tribe) pays tribute to her tribe.

Malaysia showcased its sape legend, Leslie Eli, who gave a hugely thrilling performance, before Datuk Jamal Abdillah ended the night with three Malay songs.

Vocalist Bayang Barrios from the Philippines giving an enthralling performance.

The concert was held in conjunction with the 19th Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC (Asean Socio-Cultural Community) and the 14th Asean Socio-Cultural Community Council meetings last week.

At the meetings, the ministers exchanged views on issues pertaining to socio-cultural trends as well as the way forward to realise the Asean Community by the end of the year.

The ASCC pillar coordinates 19 sectoral bodies covering areas such as human development, social welfare and protection, social justice and rights, environmental sustainability, building an Asean identity as well as narrowing the development gap.