KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Malaysia is in the spotlight for the upcoming episode of the BBC Arts Hour on Tour.
The BBC Arts Hour on Tour is the flagship arts and culture programme for BBC World Service, an international news service available on radio, television and online in English and 40 other languages.
The programme has visited countless cities worldwide, including Atlanta, Amsterdam, Jakarta, Jaipur and Seoul, where it discussed cultural trends and traditions.
This time, it made its inaugural visit to Malaysia’s capital.
Hosted by English presenter Nikki Bedi, the BBC Arts Hour on Tour recorded its upcoming episode at The Playhouse theatre in The Campus at Ampang, joined by six talented Malaysians, including an up-and-coming band from Sabah.
The guest stars included prominent local actress Sharifah Amani, film director Ng Ken Kin, comedian Kavin Jay, poet and singer Takahara Suiko and Sabahan band Tuni Sundatang, along with Sabahan singer Dabra Sia.
The recording session, which lasted around two hours, also featured a live audience who joined in the discussion of various topics relating to Malaysia’s diverse cultures and its challenges.
Before the recording session, Suiko took Bedi and her team to several spots around the Klang Valley, part of the Cultural Cab segment of the programme, where the singer shared three of her favourite places to visit.
The three places included the record store Teenage Head Records (THR) in Subang Jaya, independent bookstore Gerak Budaya in Petaling Jaya, and live music bar Merdekarya in Petaling Jaya.
Suiko said that the reason she chose THR was because of her love for physical releases such as vinyl, cassette tapes and CDs, while Gerak Budaya offers rare books on social commentaries that are hard to come by.
“Merdekarya is a special place for many local independent musicians, and it’s one of the few left with an open mic after others closed due to the pandemic,” Suiko said.
Film director Ng Ken Kin, known for Malaysia’s first crowdfunded feature film Pendatang, which portrays a dystopian future where people are segregated based on race, also shared some insights about his first feature film on the programme.
Ng said that the basic concept of the film was exploring the simplicity of seeing each other as humans first, rather than by the colour of their skin.
He added that Pendatang also serves as a cautionary tale for Malaysians.
“The idea for the film came from our scriptwriter Lim Boon Siang, who was taken aback by the Low Yat Plaza incident back in 2015, where a phone theft case snowballed into a riot in just a few days,” Ng explained.
Ng added that the reason they opted for the film to be crowdfunded was because they wanted to have full creative control over it, and they chose YouTube as their platform due to its accessibility.
“The objective of this film is to get as many Malaysians as possible to watch it, but how do we get them to watch it? We talked about releasing (the film) in cinemas, but the tickets are not cheap for a family of four, and also there are not many places in Malaysia that have cinemas, especially in smaller towns,” Ng said.
“Then we thought of putting it on the internet because it’s accessible by almost everyone, and the best platform for us is YouTube,” Ng added.
Pendatang was released on YouTube on December 21 last year and has now garnered over four million views.
Aside from that, the BBC Arts Hour on Tour also saw actress Sharifah Amani talk about her role in her 2023 film La Luna and her experience in the Malaysian film industry.
Sabahan band Tuni Sundatang performing ‘Tangon’ alongside singer Dabra Sia. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
The programme also featured an array of performances, including a stand-up comedy session with Kavin Jay and live performances by Suiko, Tuni Sundatang and Sia.
Tuni Sundatang, who made their international debut at the Taiwan Music Festival 2024 last October, also graced the programme with two songs, Tangon, featuring Sia, and Highlander.
The band is known for fusing traditional Borneo instruments with modern sounds.
The Kuala Lumpur episode of the BBC Arts Hour on Tour is set to air on December 14.
