In 2023, Malaysia was recently elected to be a part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In celebration of this nomination, the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) held an event on October 6th called “Road to Unesco” which displayed the nation’s rich traditional breakfast and fashion culture. Men, women, and children of all ages and ethnicities from all across the country attended this event to appreciate the cultural Malaysian heritage.
Food being central to identity is no foreign concept, and especially applies to Malaysian food culture. The event provided nasi lemak to the attendees, which is a popular breakfast food and the national dish of Malaysia. Nasi lemak translates to “fat rice”, but fat is more so interpreted as “creamy” or “rich” due to the rice being cooked with coconut milk along aromatics like ginger, onion, and pandan leaves. Nasi lemak is served with sambal, a popular Malaysian chili sauce, protein of choice, cucumbers, anchovies, and peanuts. Multiple local famous nasi lemak vendors were the ones providing their versions of the dish at the event, including Nasi Lemak Tanglin and Nasi Lemak Burung Hantu! (Where is the respect for Village Park??? I’m kidding, they’re kind of overrated.) While I may be biased due to my upbringing and heritage, nasi lemak is uniquely Malaysian.
The traditional Malaysian dress for women, the kebaya, was another highlight of the event. Other surrounding countries in Southeast Asia–like Indonesia and Brunei– share this form of dress, reflecting the shared culture and overlapping histories. Part of what makes Melayu kebaya different is the textiles and type of batik–dyed patterns on fabrics (usually silk or cotton). While Indonesian batik typically use geometric shapes and patterns with neutral colors, Malaysian batik is heavily influenced by nature and florals with bright colors.
Another goal of the MOTAC event was to use the event as a way to display Malaysian culture as a means to promote tourism. Malaysia’s tourism industry took a hit during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with the country on complete lockdown during 2021. According to the World Tourism and Travel Council, there was a resurgence in tourism during 2023, “growing by a massive 97.8% to reach MYR 157BN, accounting for 8.6% of the country’s total economic output.” While Malaysia’s tourism industry peaked in 2019–contributing 6.8 to the nation’s GDP–the bounceback from 0.8% in 2021 to 4.5% in 2023 is an incredible recovery that shows promise for the industry overtime.
Malaysia Boleh!
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1126334/malaysia-gdp-direct-contribution-tourism/