Malaysia - Sixteen university students from Japan, Korea and Myanmar found a dikir barat performance by Sunway University College amazing and full of spirit.
The institution`s Sahabat Society, which promotes Malay culture, put up an energetic performance accompanied by traditional instruments like the canang, rebana and gong.
The students are participants of an off-campus educational programme in South-East Asia with Learning Across Borders.
After the performance, the visitors had a chance to learn how to perform the dikir barat and mingle with the performers.
“I appreciate the warm hospitality of the performers,” said Motoshi Kanke from Keio University in Japan.
Monash University Foundation Year student Nor Farah Farhana said she enjoyed getting to know the Japanese visitors.
Her classmate, Aisyah Mahmud, said this was an interesting experience and different from what they had learnt in class.
Keiko Kobayashi, a final-year sociology student of Keio University, said the performers were friendly and put so much into their performance and showed how proud they were of their culture.
Learning Across Borders was initiated in 1991 and offers answers to young people who want to combine their on-campus education with direct experience in other cultures.
Source: thestar.com.my (17 Maret 2008)
