By Aida Aziz
TANJUNG MALIM: We cannot escape the fact that children in this country today often browse social media platforms to watch animations from neighboring countries.
At the same time, many parents on social media also admit that their children tend to use the language or dialect of neighboring countries in their daily conversations.
Although this phenomenon may not seem too noticeable, if not addressed, there is concern that over time, they will lose interest in learning about their own culture and folklore.
With this awareness, the Sufi Kreatif Children’s Care Centre in Proton City has come forward with creative ideas to ensure that Malay folklore stories, particularly from this state, are not lost to time.
According to its manager, Mohd Firdhaus Hasraf Hassan, among the folklore stories featured are the Dragon of Lake Chini, Princess Walinong Sari, the Legend of the Bujang Senang Crocodile, Si Luncai and His Pumpkin, as well as Princess Dayang Senandong.
All 30 participants involved in the recent program organized by the centre were seen as capable of instilling a love for their own traditional culture.
“We want Malay literature to continue to be a source of knowledge that highlights the greatness of the Malay race.
“This also includes the field of arts and culture, as it has its own uniqueness and valuable lessons.
“The participants, ranging in age from 6 to 12, engaged in creative arts activities such as collage, painting, singing traditional songs, and applying traditional Malay makeup.
“They were able to reenact these stories through dialogue with full expression, guided by their teachers,” he said.
He, who is also the owner of the care centre, added that the participants also had the opportunity to learn the dialects of other states in Malaysia.
“Not excluding the Perak dialect, which is unique, and it should be noted that each district has its own distinct dialect,” he said.
Various folklore stories from the state of Perak should be actively promoted through a variety of enjoyable skill integrations.
“It is important to balance the influx of foreign stories that can be easily accessed through modern technology.
“We worry that our children might prefer stories from other countries, whereas the Malay folk tales here have their own strength.
“For example, the story of Walinong Sari highlights a female character who is highly skilled in silat and is very meticulous in finding a partner.
“This also sends a clear message that Malay society greatly respects women, along with the history of the state of Inderapura, which holds various astonishing and mysterious stories,” he said.
He added that Sufi Kreatif has planned various such programs for the upcoming school holidays.
These include stories like Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, the Curse of the Tapah Fish, Princess Limau Purut, Beting Basah, the Curse of the Orphan from Ban Pecah, and many more.
