SINGAPORE - Ahead of its two-year closure, the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) in Kampong Glam will play host to a gala festival in October, a two-week celebration of Malay song and dance. Invitation is open to all.
Called the MHC ClosingFest, celebrations involve more than 100 performers, including 30 from Malaysia and Indonesia. Those who show up from Oct 14 to 30 are promised night after night of the community's greatest musical hits, from traditional music to more modern forms such as the cha cha and mambo.
MHC was opened in 2012, and, in addition to being an exhibition centre for Malay culture, has also over time become a centre of community activity in Kampong Glam.
Its flagship festival, Malay CultureFest, has had to go digital and be scaled down in the last two years due to Covid-19. This year's ClosingFest, MHC's general manaager Asmah Alias said, will be on the same scale as the celebrated CultureFests pre-pandemic.
"For the last time before the temporary closure, we want to throw our doors open," Ms Asmah said, adding that planning for the festival started six months ago. "MHC ClosingFest will celebrate Malay traditions and heritage, and MHC's legacy and milestones over the years."
One of the most important of MHC's past projects are the exhibitions focused on various communities in the Malay Nusantara, an old Javanese term which initially referred to the territories of the Majapahit empire and now is used as shorthand for the greater Malay world.
Its diverse cultures continue to influence the Malay community in Singapore and MHC's work has raised awareness of sub-communities like the Bugis, the Boyanese, which organisers said more young Malay Singaporeans now know about.
MHC is closing for a revamp that is expected to last till 2025. The facade, once the seat and historic home of Malay royalty in Singapore, is protected.
This means most of the work will be within the walls of the building, and Ms Asmah said visitors can look forward to possibly more technology and interactive offerings.
On opening gala night on Oct 14, the joget music of yesteryear, known for its lively beats and usually accompanied by violin, gong, flute and drums, will be brought to life by local artistes, such as musician Azrin Abdullah, song troupe Alunada collective and Orkestra Melayu Singapore.
On Oct 15, famed Malaysian singer Jamilah Abu Bakar will also be helming a concert in tribute to Saloma, one of the most respected Singapore Malay female stars in Singapore's history.
Organisers said she was noted for the range of her repertoire, but Saloma was also a leading fashion icon whose figure-hugging dressing style, mixing the East with the West, is still being emulated today.
Another highlight is on Oct 21, where young musicians in the Nadi Singapura drum and percussion ensemble will raise the roof with their energy and dynamism through an innovative use of Malay archipelago drums.
Lintas Nusantara on Oct 23 will include local and overseas dancers to showcase styles from across the Nusantara, including those featuring martial arts moves that are heavily influenced by silat, or developed during more antagonistic exchanges with colonial powers.
Ms Asmah said the MHC will still be around and is keen on maintaining a place in Kampong Glam after the centre temporarily closes, promising travelling exhibitions and decentralised events.
More details of MHC ClosingFest and its plans are available on MHC's website. Most activities are free.
