Melaka To Set Up Arts And Culture Unit To Boost Heritage Preservation Efforts

MELAKA, May 26 (Bernama) -- The Melaka government will set up an Arts and Culture unit as part of efforts to strengthen initiatives to preserve the state's arts, heritage, and culture, particularly the dondang sayang, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.

He said the unit will be introduced at the July soft launch for World Tourism Day and the World Tourism Conference 2025.

Ab Rauf said the unit gathers culture and arts practitioners from Institut Warisan Melaka and the Melaka Arts Brigade and will be placed under the purview of the Melaka Chief Minister Department.

"We should be proud, as there are hundreds of countries and thousands of cities worldwide, yet Melaka was chosen as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

"Therefore, we will prove that Melaka is not only a UNESCO World Heritage City, but its rich and diverse arts and culture will also one day gain recognition from the organisation," he said here last night.

He was speaking at the closing and prize presentation ceremony for the state-level Dondang Sayang Competition, held in conjunction with the "Wakil Rakyat Untuk Rakyat" (WRUR) programme for the Sungai Udang state constituency. Sungai Udang Constituency coordinator Datuk Rais Yasin also attended the event.

Ab Rauf said the state government has set up the Dondang Sayang training centre and gallery in Kampung Hang Tuah in Duyong to showcase this intangible cultural heritage, which also serves as an educational hub for younger generations to learn about its history and arts.

He said this initiative aligns with the recognition of dondang sayang as part of UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018.

He added that, in support of efforts to elevate the dondang sayang industry, the state government has also developed the Gerbang Pantun Melaka portal to collect and share traditional pantun, poetic verses that are the heritage and creative work of the people of Melaka.

"Alhamdulillah, to date, over 2,000 pantun have been collected, and the state government has also been organising dondang sayang workshops since January this year to provide opportunities for school and university students and the community to learn and appreciate this art form.

"We will also continue to host dondang sayang workshops in all state constituencies as part of the WRUR programme," he said.

-- BERNAMA