13 Jan Cultural Context

There is no doubt that Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof is one of our great polymaths – someone who has produced writing of great originality and has thought long and hard about traditional Malaysian culture. Here we showcase just some of his prolific writings. He was responsible as editor for The Encyclopedia of Malaysia volume on The Performing Arts (EDM) and a recent tome, Issues in Traditional Malaysian Culture (Trafford) engages in particular with theatre forms and oral traditions, while Mak Yong Theatre of Kelantan, Malaysia (Asian Cultural Heritage Centre) offers an accessible introduction to an ancient dance theatre form. And then there are the poetry collections – Transient Moments (The Asian Centre) and Songs for Shooting Stars (Lauriat Press) – a play, Halfway Road, Penang (The Asian Centre) and his miscellany of writings in Mirror of a Hundred Hues (The Asian Centre). A voice to be cherished.

Header photograph are of Mak Nab Raja, a mak yong performer taken by Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof for the Tangkap Gambar exhibition. x