Selling Kelantan Through Dikir Barat

Kelantan wants about 50 of its very own dikir barat troupes to perform at hotels nationwide to promote Visit Kelantan 2008.

State Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Anuar Tan Abdullah said the Malaysian Hoteliers Association would consider allowing the troupes to perform at member hotels.

“We want our troupes to become permanent features at hotels starting with Kelantan. They can perform for about 12 months to kickstart our campaign,” he said after presenting RM30,000 to Kelantan’s top dikir barat lead vocalist Nordin Yusuf, better known as Megat Nordin.

The amount was given in appreciation of Nordin’s tireless efforts to promote dikir barat.

Anuar said that before the troupes were sent to perform, they would have to be trained in the original dikir barat technique.

“Nowadays, troupes incorporate commercial elements, which is unhealthy,” he said. 

“People here hate it when they sing in Hindustani themes and allow women on stage to perform. This is called rojak dikir barat.”

Source: The Star

06. February 2007 by sobekmy
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