The cultural heritage of Penang is making a comeback thanks to renewed interest in this highly charged theatrical tradition, writes Pauline Fan
BORIA is an intrinsically diverse and versatile theatrical tradition that easily embraces contemporary cultural trends while staying true to its essential form. Popular among the Malay and Jawi Peranakan communities of Penang, the Boria combines elements of drama and comedy, singing, dancing and verse to create a vibrant, festive mood for performers and audience alike. Unlikely cultural influences converge in the boria — from the Persian passion play of ta’ziyeh, cavalry marches, Malay pantun and joget to Latin and Bollywood rhythms.
BORIA MASTER
Pak Omar Hashim, 60, a famed boria exponent and performer, has been performing since he was a teenager. Growing up in the 1960’s in Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Perai, Pak Omar often watched the itinerant Boria troupes that wandered from door to door during festive seasons or on makeshift stages.
Pak Omar first attempted to direct and choreograph his own boria performance while he was in Standard Five for an annual school show. This performance was enthusiastically received by his teachers, parents and friends, encouraging Pak Omar to continue his journey into the world of Boria.
Pak Omar soon joined the Bukit Mertajam Youth Association and started performing with their boria youth group, known as Kumpulan Boria Belia Bisma Simpang Empat, Bukit Mertajam. This is where Pak Omar sharpened his skills in composing Boria lyrics and as a musician, playing the harmonica. He also continued actively performing in school, even helping his team win the Boria school-championship of Penang. He later became involved with Bukit Mertajam Kumred Association and Seberang Perai Kudrat Association, where he first took on the role of leading a Boria troupe.
Pak Omar founded his own troupe in 2000, doing many boria programmes for radio, television, and local events. Blessed with creativity and versatility, Pak Omar has mastered both the asli (original) and modern styles of boria and is thus able to cater for various audiences and occasions. Since 2008, Pak Omar’s group has been known as Kumpulan Boria Omara (Omara Boria Group) and features the vivacious singer, actress and dancer, Aida Elias.
In recognition of his passionate dedication to the boria tradition, Pak Omar received, on Oct 10, the title and award of Tokoh Boria (Boria master) from the Penang Artistes’ Association.
RELIGIOUS ROOTS
Boria traces its origins to the traditional Persian performance called ta’ziyeh, a passion play that reenacts the defeat of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. It is performed on Ashura, the 10th day of the month of Muharram. Over time, the ta’ziyeh developed from consisting of mostly elegies commemorating the death of Imam Hussain into a sophisticated form of complete theatre, encompassing poetry, drama, music, singing and a call and response chorus.
During the 19th century, the ta’ziyeh became more literary and embraced secular Persian folk stories and poetry of love and heroism. Western influence also left its mark on ta’ziyeh during this period, particularly by incorporating military band marches into the repertoire and inclusion of Western costumes.
Ta’ziyeh proliferated across borders along with the spread of Shia Islam to southern Iraq, southern Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
It was brought to Penang sometime in the 19th century by Indian Muslim soldiers of the British-Indian Army, specifically by the 21st Madras Cavalry as music for their marches.
Although boria was introduced to Penang by Indian Muslims and practiced by their locally-born descendents (known as Jawi Peranakan), it was quickly adopted and adapted by the Penang Malay community, adding elements of pantun (traditional Malay verse) and joget (traditional Malay social dance) to the tradition. There is no doubt that the hybridity and cosmopolitanism of Penang society lent itself to the casual way in which cultures interacted, borrowed from each other and spontaneously co-created what is now the distinctive tradition of boria.
According to Pak Omar, there are several explanations for the name boria. Some scholars trace the name to a Hindi word for “mat”, referring to the coarse robes worn by early boria performers to portray the suffering of Imam Hussain at Karbala. Others think the word boria could be derived from the Hindi word “borai”, which means mad or eccentric, referring to the wild antics of the performers.
Yet others have suggested that the word was derived from the word “Bori”, a community of Indian Muslims originally from Gujarat who were mostly small traders. It was this community who are said to have first performed the boria in Penang. The name of the Bori community combined with the Malay word “ria” (cheerful) may have given rise to the name boria.
While elements of the early ta’ziyeh are still discernable in a boria performance, notably the way in which a drama sketch gives way to a musical segment, the structure of today’s boria has evolved far beyond its ancient origins. Boria does not serve a religious ritual function but is a popular, secular performance that is highly entertaining and festive.
PERFORMANCE STRUCTURE
A boria performance is divided into two main parts — the comedy sketch performed by boria actors, followed by the musical segment performed by musicians, dancers and led by a tukang karang (lead singer). The tukang karang is backed by a group of kelasi (sailors), who serve as chorus singers and dancers. Twirling a baton to lead his troupe, the tukang karang sings boria verses while the kelasi chorus echoes in unison.
Pak Omar explains that boria verses have a very specific structure. The last syllable of all four lines must match exactly, not simply the vowel or consonant ending. There was a time when the tukang karang could spontaneously compose their verses during a performance but this is very rare nowadays.
RESISTANCE AND REFORM
Not simply a form of entertainment, boria was also a platform of resistance against British colonial rule in Penang and the Straits Settlements.
Prof. Wazir Jahan Karim, President of the Jawi Peranakan Heritage Society and an expert on boria, says that in the 19th century, locals often used the sketches during a boria performance to mock British colonial administrators. The characters of a boria usually portrayed archetypal stock characters of various ethnic groups such as the urban Malay man (Jawi Pekan), Jawi Peranakan woman, Chettiar moneylender and the bullying or drunk British officer. The sketches focus on a theme related to the community.
Such show of protest or displeasure against the authorities led the British to temporarily ban the performance after the Penang Riots of 1867, which were sparked by fighting between the two main Chinese secret societies, Ghee Hin and Hai San.
The affinity that developed between secret societies and boria groups marks another fascinating chapter in the history of boria. Mahani Musa has written about how the crackdown on Chinese secret societies by British authorities saw a loss of patronage and protection for Malay secret societies. Many new clubs for sport, religion and culture sprung up and were used as a cover for Malay secret society activities.
Boria became an important channel for recruitment of new members and displays of rivalry between the White Flag Society (affiliated with Ghee Hin) and Red Flag Society (affiliated with Hai San). Each area associated with the White Flag or Red Flag established their own boria group, which became a symbol of influence and power.
In the 1920s, there were up to 50 boria troupes in Penang — many operated as a cover for Malay secret societies and some were sponsored by Chinese towkays according to affiliation. Performances often threw provocations at their adversaries and some even saw fierce fighting and bloodshed between the rival societies. Unsurprisingly, a campaign was launched against the boria during this time, both by colonial authorities as well as local religious leaders throughout Penang, who deemed boria to be a bad influence on Malay-Muslim communities.
Penang’s passion for boria did not disappear despite the campaigns against it. Gradually, boria groups increasingly started to perform on themes of social reform and community values, such as environmental awareness or the prevention of social ills. At times, this has made boria a convenient platform for political campaigning. The 1970s saw the emergence of RTM Boria, which has left its mark on the modern-style of boria with carnivalesque costumes and electronic rhythms. The amateur boria groups one finds in schools often perform this style of modern Boria.
Today, the boria tradition is making a comeback with renewed interest in form by those from Penang and beyond. There is a growing curiosity among audiences to rediscover and reclaim the festive spirit of Boria Asli. It is Pak Omar’s hope that boria will be recognised worldwide as a truly unique cultural heritage of Penang and Malaysia.