Thirty-Three At 33: Malaysia

I have never gone to a nightclub by myself and danced, but I danced in Malaysia; specifically, I danced in Melaka. I danced in the morning while waking up. I danced throughout the day to the rhythm of the city and I danced well into the night to Pete Rock and CL Smooth throwbacks and Das EFX jams at nightclubs in the city. I fell in love with Melaka's soul and what was supposed to be a 5 day trip suddenly became 2 weeks..

A little tune on the corner

The city has a rhythm from the time you wake up, until the time to fall asleep and my hips heard it well before my mind actually put one and one together. It began before the break of dawn; a steady baseline of newspaper bundles hitting the pavement at the local businesses along Jalan Bunga Raya. Lying in bed, not quite awake; but nodding my head to the artificial drumbeats and lending my own scratch or beatbox to make the tune complete. Eyes open as the sun peeks over the horizon, the storekeepers open their stores to the soft hilt of the call to prayer. The call to prayer reverberates across town from a mosque I have yet to find and this starts a lazy dance of awakening and awareness; stretching and swaying in reverence of a new day.

This is a Cyclo in Melaka!

With the honk of car horns, the day progresses through morning rush hour; time to work. While everyone is working, you would expect a quiet day in this small town, but mid-day is when the beat of the city kicks in. Cyclo drivers besting each other for the attention of tourists¸ ride up and down the streets playing whatever grooves strike their fancy. With Michael Jackson’s “You wanna be starting something” blaring through their speakers at decibels typically reserved for the ghetto, this is that hands in air, “oh, s@#t! That’s my song,” kind of dance, that makes you stop and break out your 80’s moves. The cyclo drivers fluidly move from MJ to Prince to P-Funk, like a radio stuck on the soul station and afternoon in Melaka quickly becomes only for the grown and sexy.

Smooth Operator - Karokee is super serious!

The rhythm of the city is carried by the sounds of construction and the five o’clock rush hour and settles into evening, where the neighborhood karaoke clubs compete for air every night. Eyes closed, mellowing out to the crooning of an Asian Sade, Lionel Richie, or some local Malaysian favorite. No one needs a radio or a watch in Melaka; listen to the beat and you know what time it is. Midnight has arrived when the sounds of stores closing barely eclipse those of dogs barking and howling in unison; it’s their turn to sing the night away.

Melaka, Malaysia is music and I fell in love with its soul.

(Highlights from the Ultimate B-Boy Competition in Melaka, Malaysia)

K-POP is huge EVERYWHERE in Asia!

The karokee crowd on Jonkers Walk

The listening room of my little place in Melaka :-)

“What is that?!” I sputtered and pointed while tapping the taxi driver on the shoulder. “I mean where is he from? Is he Malaysian?!” The taxi driver must have picked up on the wonder and disbelief in my voice because he actually giggled, shook his head and said, “Oh, young lady… Dark, Light, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu… All different, all Malaysian!”

I had previously read about Malaysia being the place where all Asians lived, mingled and mixed, but that still hadn’t prepared me for the 6’ 1”, chocolate skinned, brotha walking down the street with a Kangol pulled low over his eyes and a Denzel swagger that wouldn’t stop. I wasn’t salivating, just amazed that I was still in Asia and not Harlem, D.C, Philly or any other chocolate city you could think of. Okay, maybe I was drooling a little bit, but who knew they made them like that over here? Malaysia is proof positive that Asians come in all colors and all sizes... Pulling me out of my stupor, the driver continued his drive through Kuala Lumpur while delivering his dissertation on the cultural and ethnic variations in Malaysia. Cabbie education is the best!

Apparently, Malaysia is comprised of three main ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese, and Indians. However, over time these groups have married and reproduced, so you have other ethnic categories like the Peranakan or Baba-Nyonya, which are Malay and Chinese. You also have the Chitty, which are essentially Indian and Malay mixed. Then you layer on the fact that until Malaysia received its independence in 1957, they were ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Japanese and the British and each country brought its own culture, religion and laws into Malaysia and left its stamp. So while the majority of Malays practice Islam, you still may have Malays who are Portuguese descendants and are Catholic. The Indians added Hinduism to the mix, the Chinese added Buddhism and each racially mixed ethnic group pulled religious cues from both sides of their family and created their own cultural practices. Even today, you see “little white men on bikes in shirts and ties or those other ones who go door-to-door” (Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses) and it’s another layer being added.

This is a really rough assessment of the historical and cultural complexities there, but Malaysia is essentially Neapolitan ice cream; three different flavors with a melting mix collecting at the base of the cone. In actuality, if you take into account the many different indigenous tribes interspersed throughout the country, the Orang Asli (the "original people" or their version of Native Americans), then what you really have is Neapolitan ice cream with sprinkles. Delicious!! (my new favorite word)

Malaysia is Delicious like that brotha crossing the street. It’s Delicious in the way it stretches to accommodate all the diversity under its flag. It’s the only place I’ve gone in the world, where you sit down for a meal and all of the seasonings are offered and every eating utensil is presented: chopsticks, fork, knife, spoon, Chinese soup spoon, and sauce dish. The ethnic food combinations found there... Delicious! “Do you want Vietnamese Rice Noodles or Chinese Yellow Noodles to accompany your Thai soup?” My can of coke was even Halal! Malaysia is delicious in its ability to meld and mend without losing the individualistic characteristic that brands each community. They actually maintain two separate, yet intertwined justice systems: a secular law system for non-Muslims and an Islamic law system for Muslims. And nearly all of their citizens speak two or three languages: Malaysian, English and their own cultural language. Simply Delicious!

“There are a lot of competing beliefs systems here! How does your country manage this without riots every day?” I asked a friend after having been there for two weeks. He explained the concept of “One Malaysia.” One Malaysia is a national unification concept or belief that progress can only be achieved if they operate as one unit or one nation that respects the ethnic identities of each community. This One Malaysia unity concept is so thick and so ingrained that you can’t spit without hitting a Malaysian flag; they are EVERYWHERE! They hang from buildings, from buses, cars and motorcycles, they string from light poles, they are painted in the grass, etched in windows, and wave from the front of people’s homes. It’s overkill to the point of being ridiculous, but completely beautiful.

The ladies only carts on the subway

Don’t get me wrong, Malaysia has its fair share of “isms” or B.S to contend with in its plight to preserve its multi-racial and multi-religious country. Pick up any newspaper or open a history book and you will read about a number of problems, from churches being bombed to marriages not being recognized. However, the fact that this country is willing to engage each of these problems head on in an attempt to create an all-encompassing space, where cultural and religious “flava” is preserved rather than stripped, is brave and incredibly difficult. Some countries take the easy way and make “my way or the highway” policies, bulldozing all minority beliefs, or “let’s act like it doesn’t exist” policies, where dissenting beliefs are never engaged just ignored. Yet, Malaysia, an Islamic state, has chosen inclusion as its national fabric, weaved it into its flag, constitution, legal and justice systems, and then spewed that same flag all over their country as a constant reminder and conversation. This is the hard way!

Response: “C’mon! We’ve been colonized again and again and each time we fight for our freedom. We are Malaysians! We are willing to fight and aren’t afraid of anything, including taking the hard way!”

Absolutely Delicious...