'Rasa Melaka' is a feelgood musical drawn from history and lasting friendships

The 'Rasa Melaka' musical will be told in three acts. It is Muka Space's biggest theatre project to date. Photo: Muka Space

If you ask any Malaysian when our country first gained independence, most people will be able to tell you it was Aug 31, 1957. But did you know when and where that date was announced?

It was on Feb 20, 1956, at Padang Bandar Hilir in Melaka. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, who was then Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya, announced the date of independence to a crowd of around 100,000 gathered at the padang (field) by the seaside, prompting passionate and loud cries of “Merdeka!”.