It was a day of culture, food and fun at the 24th edition of Malaysia Festival in Australia, writes Peggy Loh
SYDNEY’S Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour came alive with Malaysian culture recently at the 24th edition of the Malaysia Festival.
In the tradition of annual Malaysia Festivals, the Malaysian student community in Sydney worked together to promote our nation’s cultural diversity to the Australian community with colourful cultural performances and samplings of our delectable cuisine.
This year, about 128 Malaysian university students and volunteers provided a range of cultural activities while popular Malaysian restaurants in Sydney served cuisine that delighted visitors and comforted Malaysians who live there.
The organisers included Malaysian students from the University of New South Wales, University Of Sydney, Macquarie University and University Of Technology Sydney, supported by volunteers from the University Of Wollongong and University Of Newcastle as well as international students of other nationalities and Malaysian expatriates in Sydney.
Malaysia Fest or MFest, is proudly supported by the City of Sydney Council as part of the Living in Harmony initiative as well as the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority as the official event supporter.
Since the augural MFest held on the walkway of the university in New South Wales in 1990, the annual MFest is now distinguished by two mascots, Harimau Sang Tiger and Monyet Sang Monkey who go for pre-event walkabouts to promote the event by distributing flyers at various city sites and universities.
The activities started at 10am with some 30,000 visitors thronging the park for a taste of Malaysian cuisine and culture.
A host of Malaysian TV and radio personalities added excitement as they entertained and engaged with their fans. Among them was Dina Nadzir, runner-up of Malaysian Idol 1 and Era.fm personality, who sang a moving rendition of Negara-ku, our national anthem at the opening ceremony. Adira, runner-up of Akademi Fantasia 8 and Malaysian band, iamNEETA, entertained along with JinnyboyTV, YouTube personalities.
Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, The Grace Hotel Sydney, UAE Exchange Australia and Central Equity Property were among the booths set up next to the food stalls.
Paparich, a popular Malaysian brand in Australia needed no introduction while food served by Ipoh Town, Kampong Boy, Abang Sam, Mamak, Alice’s Makan, Jackie M, and Pop-Yeah, also saw long queues waiting to indulge in foods like rojak, satay, roti canai, popiah and traditional pastries as well as pancakes, juices and ice-cream.
Also on sale were home products like kaya, cookies, sambal and a range of cooking sauces under brands like Dollee, MyKuali, Halal Enterprise, Ayam Brand and Rockman Australia.
The highlight was the King of Fruits and whether it was loved or loathed, its unusual spiky look and pungent smell attracted more than 40 participants who registered for the inaugural Durian Eating Competition.
At the sound of the whistle, 15 shortlisted participants raced to eat equal portions of Musang King durian. All the participants happily gobbled up the fruit in 5 minutes.
Amid the cheers and laughter, it was both amazing and amusing to see that the top two winners were not Asians but Australians!
“Eating durian in Australia never feels completely right — it inevitably becomes an exercise in nostalgia,” said a participant, Monica Tan, who is The Guardian Australia’s deputy culture editor.
“For me, it brings back memories of being with my cousins in the muggy heat of Malaysia, and stopping by a hawker stall to fill the car boot with fresh durian.”
Visitors were also invited to get better acquainted with durian by taking part in a Guess The Weight Of Durian contest.
Many Australians bravely took up the challenge to hold the fruit and got close enough to get a whiff of its smell.
The Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture generously sponsored A$1,000 (RM3,200) worth of durian, as whole fruit and in boxes, sourced from farms in Perak, Pahang and Kelantan.
The wealth of cultural diversity was presented through demonstration of traditional weddings in the Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures, complete with costumes, music and narration.
Besides Chinese, Malay and Kadazan cultural dances, members of the Pei Li Wushu troupe gave an impressive performance.
The MFest closed at 5pm with the singing of Rasa Sayang.