Arts communities along Muar river mobilise for virtual CNY celebration

'Chinese New Year Times Along The Muar River' will comprise video links from several Johor villages and towns located along the river, such as Belemang, Grisek, Lenga and Tangkak, with interviews, arts events and storytelling featuring members of the community. Photo: Muar River Times

This Chinese New Year, Muar River Times will bring the celebration to you in a virtual festive event on Feb 12 at 3pm via its Facebook page.

"Chinese New Year Times Along The Muar River" will comprise video links from several Johor villages and towns located along the river, such as Belemang, Grisek, Lenga and Tangkak, with interviews, arts events and storytelling featuring members of the community.

Ever been to Grisek in Johor? Here is your chance to take a virtual festive tour on Feb 12.

Despite the National Unity Ministry announcing on Feb 7 that family reunion dinners for Chinese New Year are being permitted (with SOPs), it will still be a quiet celebration for most.

In a statement, it said this would be limited to 15 family members living within a 10km radius and must not involve interstate or inter-district travel.

“We know that a lot of people cannot go back to their home town this year due to the movement control order (MCO), so we try to do something special for them and their families. Through the Internet, we hope to enjoy the New Year atmosphere together. We also see it as a platform to share what is going on in neighbouring kampungs, with the Muar river communities, ” says Tew Kok Keong, Muar River Times founder.

He describes this programme as meaningful and creative, with a choir, music groups, a Chinese orchestra, drama and dance sessions, plus a touch of nostalgia from a selection of old photographs and videos.

Muar River Times, formed two years ago, is a local folk and community media platform organised by a few creative studios, workshops and companies based in Muar, that aims to promote the beauty of Muar river villages and keep the community updated on news in the area. The people behind this team come from diverse backgrounds, from graphic and architectural designers to IT professionals, videographers, artists and students.

“The people behind Muar River Times have connected with several villages since 2019, for place-making events and other projects. This time, we worked together with them again to put together this online Chinese New Year show, ” says Tew.

Due to the pandemic and MCO restrictions, the video and editing team were not able to travel to these locations. A lot of the footage you will see in "Chinese New Year Times Along The Muar River" will therefore be from the communities themselves.

“The Muar river is about 250km in length and spans six daerah (districts) in Johor and Negri Sembilan. There are about a million people living along the river. Muar River Times aims to connect people through contemporary and traditional media, and encourage the elders and young generation to work together on projects for the society and community, ” he explains.

A Chinese community-based orchestra rehearsing for the Muar River Times' virtual show on Feb 12. Photo: Muar River Times

It is a common occurrence in villages and smaller towns all over the country that the younger generation leave their home towns in search of better job opportunities in the city.

No doubt, the pandemic has put many people's plans on hold in the past year.

“With the pandemic, MCO and travel restrictions, many students, fresh graduates and young people have continued living in their kampung. There are also youths who came back from the city to take care of their ageing parents. All these young people have a lot of skills and talent, and Muar River Times collaborate with them on projects to not just connect communities in the villages and towns, but those living elsewhere as well, ” says Tew.

The virtual Chinese New Year show is part of this effort.

During this virtual show, Muar River Times will launch the second issue of its magazine. The first issue was released at the end of the year after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Last month, it started a podcast series with a new episode scheduled for release every two weeks.

"Chinese New Year Times Along The Muar River" will have six segments, with each one introducing a different village or town along the river.

“This is the first time we are collaborating with the Muar river communities to work on such an event. Besides the festivities, we would like to highlight the development along the Muar river and the village revitalisation efforts. We also hope that this show will inspire people to visit these places after the pandemic is over, ” concludes Tew.