©The Sun
(Used by permission)
by Tan Sooi Beng
Discourses of Bangsa Malaysia in the last decade have instilled hope for the
creation of a more inclusive notion of Malaysian nationhood. Nevertheless,
ethnicism still persists in Malaysian politics and the daily lives of the
people.
As we search for a common Malaysian culture that can bring different races
together, there is much to learn from bangsawan performers of the past.
These artists played important roles in promoting intercultural mixing and
created a form of theatre that was not restricted to ethnicity or class. They
were open to diversity and innovation.
Bangsawan was the first popular urban commercial theatre in Malaya. It is
believed that the Parsi troupes from Bombay which traveled widely in Southeast
Asia provided the model for the development of bangsawan in the 1880s. Known
also as Malay opera, bangsawan engendered the first popular music and dance
orchestra in the country.
Bangsawan gained popularity across a wide spectrum of society which derived from
various ethnic and class backgrounds in the early 20th century.
Troupes performed in the towns and villages of Malaya, Sumatera, Java and
Borneo. By the 1920s and 1930s, bangsawan had become so popular that its
"culture" was widespread. In particular, songs performed in bangsawan became the
"hits" of the day and formed the basis of new popular music which were performed
live at dance halls in amusement parks, and recorded by gramophone companies.
To cater to as wide an audience as possible, stories of different nationalities,
ethnic origins, and adaptations of literary classics from Europe, America, Asia
and the Middle East were performed in bangsawan. Some of the popular stories
included Laksamana Bentan, Sam Pek Eng Tai, Puteri Bakawali, Hamlet and Laila
Majnun.
Bangsawan attracted multiethnic participation at all levels. Proprietors (or
towkays) of opera troupes included Chinese, Malays and Indians.
Tan Tjeng Bok (a well–known Chinese actor from Java) and Sheikh Omar (an Arab
singer) were said to have joined the Moonlight Opera of Penang and captivated
audiences with their singing (Straits Echo, May 1, 1933). Minah Alias, the late
bangsawan prima donna who recorded more than 30 songs for the HMV label in the
1930s, was of Javanese and European parentage.
The late Alfonso Soliano was a famous Filipino pianist and bangsawan band
leader.
The bangsawan performers had to diversify their interests and familiarise
themselves with the dances and songs of various cultures. They studied Malay,
Western, Chinese, Hindustani and Arabic songs, silat Melayu and kuntau (Chinese
art of self–defence using sticks) from one another.
Minah Alias recalled studying Javanese dance with the famous Miss Riboet when
she was sent to Java at an early age. "After I became an actress, I studied
kuntau from a Chinese opera actress and in return, I taught silat to her," said
Minah Alias.
Menah Yem, known to her admirers as the "Queen of Dance", learnt the latest
vaudeville dances from American movies.
Living together, learning elements of one another's culture, and the exposure to
diverse cultures contributed directly and significantly to cultural and musical
interaction, absorption and synthesis.
The evidence for this is to be found in the content of the theatrical
performances as well as the musical compositions which emphasised eclecticism,
syncretism and adaptability. The performers brought both a Malayan and a global
resonance to bangsawan in the early 20th century.
Put another way, bangsawan captured the local spirit of organic hybridity. By
crossing their own stylistic and ethnic boundaries, the bangsawan performers
developed perspectives that were more inclusive.
All this is rather different from today's construction of national identity by
officialdom which prioritises Malay–Islamic cultural elements. Attempts at
combining the "Malaysia, Truly Asia" style have resulted in colourful spectacles
which artificially juxtapose stereotypical elements of various cultures. These
extravaganzas might show tourists that diversity is harmoniously integrated but
they have a neutralising effect of rendering conflict and difference
inconsequential.
Tan Sooi Beng is Professor of Ethnomusicology at Universiti Sains
Malaysia. As a composer, she seeks to create music that cuts across all races.
That, for her, is Malaysian.
Pluralism and bangsawan: Let us learn from our past
30 Aug 2007 12:00 am