Feminist dikir barat

You can take a boy out of the village but you can't take the village out of the boy - hence "dikir barat", one of the many proud cultural heritage from Kelantan and southern Thailand. It is somewhat resembles that of a choir from the western tradition. Partial to dikir barat that I am, I used the following dikir in some of the classes I taught to illustrate certain concepts and ideas and it often prompts lively discussion among my American students.

The above dikir tells about her singing her fortune: being married young to an irresponsible guy who divorced her and that she was left with two small children (toddlers) to raise. Because of her socioeconomic status background and without any education and skills, she was left wondering how to sustain them and to make a living - what to do to earn a living and sustain her and her two young children. She poured her heart at the injustice of gender inequality that exists in her society where "men can literally have their brains in their butts", whereas women have to grow up early, be mature and responsible. She sang about her own vulnerability and temptations following and coping with the divorce but her strong faith and adherence to morality kept her from going astray.

To me, this dikir outlines the cultural mileau that exists in almost every corner of the world regardless of culture. She defines feminism within her own cultural context.

Hooray for Shila Amzah!

The young lady, Ms. Shila Amzah strikes a code with me. She exemplifies what I believe: that man-made boundaries are just that - superficial at best. If we believe that we are good, then when we land on the ocean, we will become an island and when we fall on land, we will become a mountain. If we believe in ourselves, be pragmatic and true to our own dreams, geographic location is a moot point.

Excellence and striving for it, are what endure us. Muhammad Ali, (the boxing legend), Nelson Mandala, and Dalai Lama, come to mind, for some reasons. I think in order to us to do so, we have to be true to ourselves. Yes, be authentic is an important ingredient to any meaningful achievement.

I so enjoy listening to this young lady, Ms. Shila. To me she did exceptionally well singing English, Malay and Chinese songs. She is a performer and she sings to her audience, capturing their hearts and at least their undivided attention while she sang. However, while viewing her performance, I could not help myself and as I scrolled down the webpages to read the comments from others, my heart was pounding hard with disgust and downright anger. Instead of celebrating the spirit she shared souring across the man-made geographic boundaries and her accomplishment, we should be rejoicing the triumph of how such one individual managed to touch a whole lot of others through whatever she loves doing, in this case singing and performing. To those millions of Chinese television audience, Shila was from Malaysia. Rejoice. Yes, she was so recognized and acclaimed on a stage away from her home land but the recognition was genuine and authentic. If you were to read those comments especially those written in Malay, a common theme emerged that is very telling about the state of affairs of our Malaysia. To lump them all as if the writers are under the tempurung would be too kind. They have no qualms about imposing their versions of a belief system on to her and others as if their interpretation of their religion is THE truth. Humble and insightful they are not, and they care less, but collectively they reveal their true self that do not inspire nor inviting, let alone inclusive. Over all, they project and perpetuate the myths of their own religion and culture. I truly wonder what is there that those writers are proud of?

As a response, perhaps if they were to pay closer attention to the words of the following, they would learn something. Those words exemplify the substance of what I want those arm-chair critics to hear and reflect on their know-it-all attitudes and an ever narrowing worldviews.

I am hopeful that it would not be too much to ask.