It’s likely you haven’t as is the case with the majority of Malaysians who grew up reading Western fairy tales like Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears instead.
Today, the Temple of Fine Arts is hoping to bridge the cultural gap between Malaysians at large and the various indigenous peoples of the country with the staging of “Asli – Resonance in Our Roots”.
This fascinating online performance combines live music with folklore and puppetry, and transports audiences from their homes to the caves of Kelantan and Mount Kinabalu and across forests, oceans and wetlands, while weaving stories about the universal values of respect, compassion and the need to preserve the environment.
“This project offers an immersive experience for the audience and will spark their interest in Malaysian folktales and ecosystems,” said Kalpana Paranjothy, a sitar teacher at the Temple of Fine Arts, who is the project leader of Asli.
She told FMT that it took 14 artists, six musicians and seven puppeteers to bring Asli to life. It is narrated by a flying fox named Riki played by Mathan Rajasingam.
Freelance environmental journalist and conservation communicator Nadiah Rosli wrote the Asli script while visual artist Deepa Rajendra created the visuals and puppetry for the production.
“This project hopes to instil awareness of the country’s natural environment and the importance to preserve and protect this heritage,” Kalpana said, adding that each folktale imparts lessons and values that encourage the audience to reflect on their identities, sense of belonging and how the community is linked to nature.
The performance opens with the original and soulful song “Bangkit” by a group of Semai musicians from Gombak, led by Tok Sali a/l Bah Bap, that calls for the blessing of nature.
From here the audience is transported across Malaysia’s diverse ecosystems with the retelling of local and regional stories.
Apart from Sang Kelembai, Pambu and Parashar, other tales include the giant king Gayo Nakan and the supreme beings of Kinoingan and Suminundu.
There are also stories of the Great Race of the Chinese Zodiac and Terengganu’s Ulek Mayang legend of the seven seas princesses.
Four different forms of puppetry are used to awaken the sense of wonder and imagination in viewers, Kalpana said, explaining that these include shadow puppetry, wayang kulit, hand puppets, as well as string puppets and muppets.
While planned originally as a performance in front of a live audience, current precautions brought on by the pandemic forced the organisers to take the production online instead.
Catch the next viewing of “Asli – Resonance in Our Roots” on March 3 in conjunction with World Wildlife Day. Tickets go on sale today and are available on the Temple of Fine Arts virtual platform, Bindu.