KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Commuters at the Pasar Seni Mass Rail Transit (MRT) station enjoyed a traditional cultural performance of the Mah Meri tribe of Orang Asli here this afternoon, which was put on to mark the return of the Arts on the Move campaign.
The dance performance by the Mah Meri Cultural Club launched the latest edition of the programme that was making a return after a hiatus of several years.
“Stations are not only just transits, but can also be destinations,” said Hamdan Abdul Majeed, the managing director of Think City, which spearheaded the programme.
“It can become a rich place that can help activities and vibrancy.”
The programme, which was originally launched in 2016 for two years, is being revived for a six-month run with the support of Yayasan Sime Darby and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
The initiative seeks to enhance the public transport experience with local arts and culture by bringing the opportunity to partake in such activities to commuters and visitors.
“The creative and cultural industries play a significant role in bringing life to transit stations and hubs by adding a creative and dynamic element, making the experience of using public transport more enjoyable, memorable and unique.
“It also has a positive impact on the areas surrounding transit stations,” Hamdan said.
He explained how the programme could connect culture and transit, improve perception of an area, contribute to the local economy and generate foot traffic for businesses in the area.
The performers, dressed in traditional attire accessorised with woven dried nipah leaves that rustled gently as they moved, bracketed their performances with handing out intricately woven items to viewers.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who opened the event, praised the initiative and expressed an interest in seeing it expanded nationwide.
“I would like to extend my invitation to Think City to come to my hometown, Seremban,” the Seremban MP joked.
Mah Meri Cultural Club chairman Norlia Samsi lauded the campaign as a vital platform to showcase her communities arts and traditions, which had been deprived of attention in the past two years.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic happened in Malaysia, it brought a very bad impact to the community,” she told Malay Mail.
The community had lost opportunities to perform and to sell its crafts and still has yet to recover, she explained.
“This kind of initiative is very important to show people that the Mah Meri people are still here,” she said, adding that she worries they will be forgotten.
Aside from the Mah Meri performance, there is also an art installation along the stairs leading to the Kelana Jaya LRT line, titled Sunnyside Up by local artist Pamela Tan of Poh Sin Studio.
The tall bright orange yellow palm tree-like plastic structures, which decorated the stairs situated between the escalators, will be on display for the next three months.
The programme will be held fortnightly from 5pm-6pm, starting from today. It will feature curated quality performances, art installations and workshops.
