Call For More Theatre Performances On Malaysia's History, Eminent Figures

By Muhammad Faiz Baharin KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- There should be more theatre performances highlighting Malaysia's history and eminent figures to expose the public to these important aspects in an easily appreciated and understood way. Prof Emeritus Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh, dean of the Faculty of Defence Studies and Management, National Defence University said for this to happen, academicians and performing art activists should collaborate in producing more such theatre performances based on the outcomes of research studies on the country's history and renowned figures. He said besides through theatre performances, interesting historical stories such as of the country's independence fighters since the days of the Melaka Sultanate could be turned into movies in order to reach a wider audience. "The approach of presenting historical facts in the form of theatre performance or film is is an interesting concept as such a platform has its own followers," he told Bernama. However, he said, information presented on the country's history and historical figures must first be ensured of their authenticity and accuracy, and not manipulated or exaggerated to serve the interest of certain quarters. Wan Hashim said there were much about the country's history and illustrious figures that were increasingly forgotten, and even more regrettable was that their great human qualities and contributions were unknown to the public. He said this was because the stories on these figures were available in the form of reading materials (such as books and journals), which could not capture the interest of the young generation to study or know about them deeper. "Therefore, if these stories are brought to the stage or to the cinema, it would definitely be a more attractive format and easily understood by the audience. "Indirectly, it would create a new form of entertainment that is academic in character and consequently could become reference material for others, whether for research, learning or just viewing purposes," he added. Wan Hashim, who earned his doctorate in letters (sociology) from the University of Manchester, England has written a number of books including 'Warisan Seni Bina Melayu' on Malay traditional architecture, and 'Rumpun Melayu Australia Barat' on West Australia's Malay ethnic migrants from Cocos Islands. Recently, the 'Pelayaran Panglima Awang' (The Voyage of Panglima Awang) theatre performance (bangsawan) with the script by Wan Hashim from his research work was staged for three days at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall auditorium. Panglima Awang, also known as 'Enrique of Malacca', was a Malay warrior during the Melaka Sultanate and the first Malay to sail round the world with Portuguese explorer and sea captain Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century. They sailed from Melaka state to Goa, Lisbon, Seville and other places before Panglima Awang returned to Melaka, bringing with him the legendary Taming Sari keris (Malay dagger) and Cura Si Manja Kini sword which were earlier stolen by the enemies. The rare theatre performance based on history received encouraging response from the public. --BERNAMA