A Malaysia Day celebration themed “Malaysiaku – Celebrating Malaysia Day” was held at Bangkung Street, Bukit Bandaraya in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur on September 16, 2010 from 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm.
Organized by a group of patriotic Malaysians, the street bazaar featured over 50 stalls, among which were 18 stalls set up by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) aimed at educating the public on their various causes.
A makeshift outdoor stage provided the entertainment for visitors where traditional dances of Malaysia were performed such as the Sarawak traditional dances, sape performance, Sabah dance performance, orang asli dance performance, traditional Indian dance, lion dance, kompang performance led by Kamrul Bahrin and wayang kulit performance by the famed Baju Merah Pak Dollah troop.
There were also exhibitions, discussions and talks on various topics relating to the birth of Malaysia.
Mai Tomyam headed down to Bangkung Street on Malaysia Day to capture the spirit of pride and belonging of Malaysians on that day and found that the 1Malaysia spirit was very much alive and kicking.
Footnote:
Malaysia was formed on 16th September 1963, when Malaya, Sabah (then known as North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore came together as a country.
Singapore left Malaysia two years later in 1965 to form their own country.
For the first time, Malaysians from peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak celebrated Malaysia Day together on Thursday 16th September 2010 and also for the first time, the Malaysian government has declared Malaysia Day as a national public holiday.
A Sarawak cultural dance troupe performing the traditional Orang Ulu dance.
The Sarawak cultural dance troupe is performed by the Persatuan Warisan Sarawak Kuala Lumpur.
The Sarawak Iban dance performance.
A performer playing traditional music.
Visitors were impressed with Sarawak traditional sape music.
A child gets a better view of the stage performance with the help of her father.
Pop singer songwriter Amirah Ali sings her own songs.
Amirah Ali released her first single entitled "Katakanlah" which has already made waves in the blogs, press and media.
A hip hop dance performance thrills the crowd.
The standard four pupils of SK Bukit Damansara put on a play entitled "Saving the Tigers".
Pupils of SK Bukit Damansara giving a solid performance.
A flash mob dance for the "Freeze Tiger Trade" organized by the WWF which left the excited crowd breathless at its splendor.
The Sarawak Orang Ulu dance troupe striking a pose for the cameras
The Sarawak Iban dance troupe striking a pose for the cameras.
A Kadazan dance troupe striking a pose for the cameras. They performed the Tarian Sumazau, a popular dance of the Kadazandusun indigenous tribes in Sabah, Malaysia.
The street bazaar featured over fifty stalls with a variety of items that will whet the appetite of any self-proclaimed shopaholic.
A section of the crowd visiting the various stalls set up at Bangkung Street for the Malaysia Day celebration in Bangsar, KL.
Spotted a Namewee lookalike.
A stall selling the famous Sarawak Laksa for those who love hot and spicy food.
The indigenous peoples stall Gerai OA which sells handicrafts made by Orang Asal (OA), the indigenous minorities of Malaysia.
Volunteers at the Bar Council stall distribute the Rakyat Guides booklets published by the MyConstitution Campaign.
Volunteers at the We R Malaysia stall striking a pose for the cameras.
Volunteers at the Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA) stall.
The Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA) is funded solely through public donations.
Two adult scouts at the Rovers Scout KL stall. Members do their bit in saving the tigers via their "Stripes R iCon" campaign.
The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) stall displaying confiscated items of tiger parts. The MYCAT proudly shoulders heavy responsibility trying to save the tiger. Tigers are hunted for use in traditional medicines. The meat of the tiger is consumed as a delicacy. Teeth, claws and skin are treasured as collectible and magic items. The tiger is totally protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972. If you know of anyone selling products containing tigers parts, please email to report@malayantiger.net Please stop tiger trade.
The Beeteafull nya! stall sells hand-made dresses and is managed by two enterprising law students Yazmine (left) and Wanie from UiTM Shah Alam.
The Pusaka stall sells books, photographs and CDs. Pusaka is an organisation that researches and documents traditional arts in Malaysia and most of its work is based within communities on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, within the state of Kelantan. A large amount of Pusaka's work focuses on the documentation and educational projects of Kelantan's traditional genres such as the Mak Yong (an art form that recently received a UNESCO world heritage status), Wayang Kulit, Main Puteri, Dikir Barat and Menora.
Among the activities held was tiger face-painting.
Children enjoy having their faces painted to create a tiger look.
Roar! These girls get their faces painted and they were equally thrilled with their painted faces.
Not just for kids but for anybody.
A placard brings home the message as bodies freeze on the street representing wild tigers that have been hunted and traded; and freezing in that position for four minutes to stop Malaysia's tiger trade. The official estimate of the wild tigers in Peninsular Malaysia is only 500 (or possibly less), a sharp decline from 3,000 estimated in the 1950s. WWF aims to increase the number of tigers to one thousand. Let’s help them.
Bodies strewn everywhere along Bangkung Street. These volunteers freeze themselves to send out the message “Freeze the tiger trade in Malaysia!”
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