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City Guide - Kuala Lumpur - Culture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Culture Over the last few years traditional arts and culture have made a comeback in KL. All over the city small-scale performances are rubbing shoulders with the more slick revues at theatres and at Central Market, the scene of tourist-orientated fortune telling, shadow puppets and batik painting demos. The city is also home to the nation's most renowned orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, which performs regularly. Despite this renaissance in local culture, Western cinema and music still dominate, especially among the younger generation. A regularly updated web site (www.kulture.com.my) provides listings of all the major cultural events in the city. Music: The main venue in town for classical music concerts is Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, in the Petronas Twin Towers complex (tel: (1 800) 88 2222; e-mail: dfp_boxoffice@petronas.com.my). Malaysia's first classical concert hall is home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and also hosts other major classical concerts as well as cultural performances. Theatre: KL's theatre scene is on a small scale. The Actor's Studio Theatre, Independence Square, Plaza Putra (tel: (03) 294 5400) is a flexible space with all sorts of performances and even some comedy; while the Auditorium K.R Soma, Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman (tel: (03) 294 5400) is a good venue to check out. Two of the most innovative theatre groups are Dramalab (web site: www.dramalab@emuang.org) and Instant Café (web site: www.instantcafe@po.jaring.my). The massive new Istana Budaya (National Theatre), Jalan Tun Razak (tel: (03) 425 2525), looks set to become the epicentre of KL's theatre scene, presenting a mixture of mainstream theatre, opera, music and dance, from foreign and local companies. Dance: There are often modern dance performances at the Experimental Theatre, Komplex Budaya Negara (tel: (03) 238 2562). More traditional dance, such as Menora (all masked men) or Mak Yong (all masked women), is sometimes performed; however, there is no one venue or organisation. Some hotels and the Central Market also stage visiting regional dancers. Film: KL has many cinemas spread throughout the city, most with performances in English. There is a good web site for times of screenings (www.cinema.com.my). A popular hangout for film buffs is Filmnet Café, Stonor Centre, 3 Lorong Stonor (tel: (03) 241 5323), a stylish café with an arty ambience that attracts local creative types and savvy visitors alike. The café screens arthouse and foreign language films most nights of the week. Cultural events: Owing to the large number of ethnic groups, there are various cultural and religious events around the city throughout the year. Hindus celebrate Thaipusam in February at the Batu Caves with the bizarre spectacle of kavadi bearers who push skewers into their bodies to demonstrate their religious devotion. Chinese New Year, also at this time of year, is characterised by two weeks of loud street festivities and the ubiquitous lion dances. Unsurprisingly, the epicentre is around Jalan Petaling with many ethnic Chinese ignoring the government efforts to limit festivities to a two-day holiday and instead taking four or five days off. Buddhists have the less flashy celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha, with Wesak Day in May. The Jalan Gasing or the International Buddhist Temple are the places to witness this. The Muslim majority's main event is Ramadan, the period of fasting that culminates in Hari Raya Aidilfitri, where Muslims throw open their homes and feast on an array of home-cooked Malay dishes. Dates for all of the religious festivals can change markedly depending on the dictates of each religion's calendar. All creeds and religions come together to celebrate Malaysian independence on 31 August with a massive parade that brings the city centre to a halt. Literary Notes As a relatively new city there is a distinct lack of English-language fiction set in Kuala Lumpur. Paul Theroux's Consul's File (1977) is an excellent collection of short stories set just outside the city. A Malaysian Journey (1993)is an engaging insight into modern Malaysia. Written by ex-pat Malaysian journalist Rehman Rashid, it is the story of his return to his native country. The story follows his travels around Malaysia, examining a plethora of issues as he goes and culminating in his emotive return to modern KL. Steve and Lee Bristow's Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur (1994) examines Chinatown's eclectic history and boasts some excellent photographs. Also delving deep into Malaysia's intriguing past is the Malayan Trilogy (1984) by Anthony Burgess, where the author examines the state of post-war Malaysia and its struggle towards independence from Britain in 1957. For a general historical overview of Malaysian history, Jim Baker's Crossroads - A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore (1999) is comprehensive and easy to digest compared to some of the more scholarly studies of Malaysian history. Giving a unique insight into the most powerful man in Malaysia, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is his own Voices of Asia (1995), which looks at his pro-Asian views and his controversial opinions on the world economy and where it should be heading. |
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