Drums of unity thrill festival

MALACCA: Beats of the drums captivated the audience, some of whom were dancing to the beats of traditional rhythm of dondang sayang, joget and zapin at a grand ceremony to mark the Malacca Historical City Day celebration at Dataran Bandaraya in Ayer Keroh, last night.

Local and foreign tourists joined Malaccans to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the declaration of Malacca as a historical city, which was recently accorded World Heritage City status by Unesco.A fascinating drum performance by participants of the 12th Archipelago Drum Festival captivated the audience with their rendition of traditional Malay music. The Archipelago Drum Festival is listed in the Malacca tourism calendar as one of the signature events in the country. Twenty eight cultural groups are involved in the drum festival, some coming from Indonesia, Singapore, Slovakia, Thailand, Korea and Brunei.

The Malaysian Cultural Institute of Malacca, the National Arts Culture and Heritage Academy and troupes from six states also participated in the festival. The first Archipelago Drum Festival was held in 1995 to display the uniqueness and elegance of the Malay archipelago cultural traditions.This year's festival is based on the theme of "One Beat, One Melody, One Cultural Uniformity".The festival will continue at various locations in the state -- the Melaka Mall, Mahkota Parade, Dataran Sungai Melaka, Taman Budaya, Ayer Keroh and in front of the Tribune Light and Sound until April 16.

(NST - Farah Nadia Mohd Arshad)

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