KUALA LUMPUR – Kelantan lost one of its principal cultural figures following a stroke-induced illness yesterday. Abdul Rahman Jusoh, fondly known among cultural circles in Kelantan as Pak Deraman, was 72.
A native of Kg Teluk Renjuna, an island village located in the middle of the Sg Kelantan river, Pak Deraman was widely hailed as an ‘adiguru’ – master teacher – of the Kelantan drumming tradition, which accompanies the ritual arts of the Mak Yong, Manora and the healing ritual Main Puteri.
Instructed from a very young age, he grew to renown with his highly sophisticated and sensitive approach to musicianship.
As part of the early itinerant Mak Yong, Manora and Main Puteri troupes that toured the state throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he was often chosen to lead the musical ensemble of these troupes.
Following the proscription imposed on Kelantan’s cultural traditions by the state government under Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah led by PAS, Pak Deraman – unlike many other practitioners who formed part of the cultural exodus from Kelantan to national institutions throughout the rest of the country – chose to remain in the state, advising and encouraging the young there to immerse themselves in these cultural traditions to ensure their viability.
In the 1990s, Pak Deraman was a principal feature in the dramatic stagings of Datuk Azanin Ezan Ahmad, especially her acclaimed performances of Puteri Saadong and Kunang Kunang Gunung Ledang.
In 2007, with the cultural organisation Pusaka, Pak Deraman led the musical ensemble for a series of performances of Kelantan traditions at the Maison des Cultures du Monde’s renowned Festival de l’imaginaire in Paris.
His last performance, organized by Pusaka, was conducted to a rapturous audience at the Esplanade, Singapore, with the Mak Yong ensemble Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Bulan.
Many of the young practitioners who brought about a revival in the Kelantan ritual arts over the past decade are regarded as the “anak buah”, or progeny, of Pak Deraman. – The Vibes, March 23, 2021
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