GEORGE TOWN – Penang will be ground zero for a Peranakan festival with the organisation of seven events – rich in Baba and Nyonya culture, fashion, gastronomy and customs beginning from next Friday.
It also marks the return of the Penang-based cultural connoisseur Joe Sidek to his adopted home state.
He is reinvigorated to remake culture as a centrepiece in the Unesco-certified George Town World Heritage Site, after a spell of when culture was frozen out due to the lockdowns relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sidek was behind the initial organising of the George Town Festival – aimed at tapping into the intangible universal values of Penang's elevation as an international heritage centre. The festival placed emphasis on culture, arts, and conservation.
After Covid-19 halted all forms of cultural activities for almost two years, Sidek is now bringing back the pomp and glamour of the Peranakan world to the public.
While SOPs would be observed, ensuring that the audience is masked and physical distancing is a must, the show must go on.
Peranakan is best described as a fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Western influences on the Chinese community, specifically the Straits of Chinese group, who resettled in the states under heavy colonialism influence – Penang, Melaka, and Singapore.
The Peranakan network is also regarded as impressive as traditional Chinatowns, as many of their descendants are famous corporate and political leaders in those states.
Sidek told a press conference here – which was also attended by co-organisers and supporters MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd chairman Noor Azmi Mat Said, Instantstore.com founder Charles Tang and E&O Hotel general manager Alison Fraser – that it is an event designed to showcase a vibrant culture.
Mycreative is a government investment arm, whose role is to accelerate the creative arts through strategic and innovative funding and support. Tang meanwhile provides e-solutions for many events through his company.
The organisers acknowledged that the event will for the first time be promoted both on physical and virtual channels, saying that digitalisation of cultural events is here to stay, adding that the benefits of going online are tremendous.
Sidek said that televised football matches can reach millions of audiences, whereas stadiums on an average can only fill up to thousands.
So, the reach is tremendous if the organisers include a digital audience, said Sidek.
The 10-day Peranakan festival will feature a gala fashion showcase with many Malaysian beauties expected to grace the stage, musicals, tours, glorious food and nyonya-themed workshops.
The venues are also historic in nature such as the E&O Hotel, the Straits Chinese-inspired Pinang Peranakan Mansion – which was once home to the Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee – Dewan Sri Pinang, the heritage preserved UAB Building and King Street.
The festival highlights include the Peranakan Penang Fashion show, where the creations of designers Ranndy Goh, Kenny Loh, Jing Ooi and Jonathan Yun would be showcased.
There is also a jazz performance, Peranakan traditional musical instruments keronchong and ronggeng performance, as well as a discourse on Peranakan culture. There are also the Jawi Peranakan and batik exhibitions. – The Vibes, December 11, 2021
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