By Hazlin Hassan
Malaysia Correspondent
hazlin@sph.com.sg

 

KUALA LUMPUR

ACTIVISTS of an ancient Malay dance form in Malaysia want a 20-year ban on it to be lifted by the conservative Islamic government in Kelantan to save it from impending death.

The Makyong dance form was banned in Kelantan 20 years ago. PHOTO: Zulkifli Mohamad

When the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia won control of northeast Kelantan 20 years ago, it banned the Makyong dance drama that has been practised by the locals for some 800 years.

The dance, which some say began as a folk tradition to pay respect to deities and give thanks for the harvest, commonly pays respect to spirits with an offering followed by dancing and acting.

It was also a form of entertainment, especially in the mainly-rural state, where many villagers toiled in the rice fields. After a hard day’s work, they would gather in front of a makeshift stage built of wood and palm leaves and listen to stories of spiteful princesses, kidnapped queens and courageous princes.

Veteran Makyong activist Rohani Mat Zain, pictured above, can only stage performances in Kelantan behind the authorities' back. PHOTO: Rohani Mat Zain

But in 1990, it was banned by PAS due to its animist elements and worshipping, which are deemed contrary to the teachings of Islam.

Veteran Makyong activist Rohani Mat Zain, 56, said she can only stage performances in the state behind the authorities' back.

Most of the time, she performs in other states. "We have to be very careful if we want to stage the Makyong in Kelantan. It's not allowed," she told The Straits Times.

Ms Rohani, who has been performing Makyong since she was 16, feels that it is time for the ban to be lifted.

She said that there are no longer any elements of worshipping in the dance-drama which began before the arrival of Islam to the region, and has roots in animism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

It is said that some performances in the past involved performers entering a trance-like state.

"But now we don't do that anymore. We begin the dances with Islamic prayers and we take out all the elements of worshipping spirits," she said.

The Makyong is one of Kelantan's oldest traditions and has been recognised as a world heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 2005.

But the recognition could be too late.

The art is slowly dying due to the ban in Kelantan as well as a lack of interest among the younger generation and the decreasing number of practitioners. Its use of the Kelantanese dialect also makes it less accessible to other audiences.

Nowadays the Makyong is rarely performed at cultural shows and is almost unknown to ordinary Malaysians.

Asian theatre and Makyong expert Prof Ghulam Sarwar Yousof of International Islamic University Malaysia said that the Makyong has too many elements deemed problematic to Islamists.

The lead male role is traditionally played by a female, and all the 12 stories which make up the original repertoire of Makyong dances are about ancient gods, said Ghulam, who submitted the Unesco application for Makyong. Female performers also tend not to have their head or arms covered.

"Changing just one element will not be enough to satisfy the state government. And when you change all the problematic elements, it will no longer be Makyong," he told The Straits Times.

But some believe that Makyong should be allowed to evolve with the times.

Playwright Zulkifli Mohamad of the KL-based Arts Exchange in Asia (Axia), who grew up watching Makyong as a 5-year-old in Kelantan, also feels that the state should lift the ban, and that the federal government needs to do more to promote the art.

"The government should give the freedom to artists to perform however they like," he told The Straits Times.

Mr Zulkifli, who has incorporated elements of Makyong into contemporary plays, said if Makyong must remain as it was hundreds of years ago, "I don't think anything would survive in the next 50 years. I believe in freedom of creativity."

Certainly his "Gebu Gembira" (Flawlessly Merry) play set in the 1940s about a Makyong dancer who has sordid love affairs with a Japanese spy and a British officer, pushes the boundaries for the ancient art form, by using Makyong dance moves and Kelantanese dialect in a modern play.

But another challenge would be getting the younger generation interested, with the advent of satellite television and the Internet.

"It is part of our heritage and culture. But soon all these stories will be lost forever," Prof Ghulam said, adding that the tradition is unappreciated by youths.

Norzizi Zulkifli, 34, a newcomer to the Makyong scene who started teaching the art in Kuala Lumpur last year, said not many are signing up for the classes.

"Even without the ban, the art will likely die. The authorities should just lift the ban," she said.

Kelantan state assemblyman and chair of the state cultural committee Takiyuddin Hassan said he is willing to discuss the matter.

"I am open to any discussion for the sake of this culture and heritage," Datuk Takiyuddin told The Straits Times.

But the Makyong is not the only art banned in Kelantan.

The Wayang Kulit, a form of shadow puppetry, was also banned by PAS because its stories which focused on folklore and mythical characters were seen as un-Islamic. Due to the ban, and a lack of interest from youths, it too is dying a slow death.

In March, Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat said the 20-year-old ban on wayang kulit could be lifted if its players told stories of historical Malay warriors and religious figures instead of "ludicrous" myths.

Contact the author via email: hazlinh@sph.com.sg