 Pak
Hamzah Awang Amat has been called a master of 'wayang kulit', shadow play
of Malaysia. He continues to pass on the wayang kulit traditions that
have been handed down for generations on the Malay Peninsula. In addition
to improving the tradition and creating within it, he continues to enlarge
the audience and earn acclaim throughout the world.
Pak Hamzah was born
in 1940 in Kampung Kebakat in Kelantan, Malaysia. This area is located
on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula and is home to a still-thriving
traditional culture. While a child, Pak Hamzah received instruction from
his father, a dalang (shadow puppeteer). It was then he made becoming
a dalang his goal. In 1959, Pak Hamzah seriously began activities in the
art by serving as a musician in the troupe of dalang Omar Yunus. At the
same time, he organized the traditional musical group Kumpulan Sri Setia
and began public performances. He developed this group into a wayang kulit
troupe. Later, he continued studying the wayang kulit narration, which
are said to contain the essence of the art, under Awang Lah Pandak, a
dalang involved in imparting the traditions of Kelantan. His abilities
as a dalang, both as a performer and a producer, grew substantially.
The Wayang Kulit Kelantan
in Malaysia originated in Cambodia and were brought to the Malay Peninsula
from southern Thailand. The performances use aspects of the Indian epic
Ramayana, which is also present in the traditional arts of Indonesia,
Thailand, and Cambodia. Central to the wayang kulit is the Hikayat Seri
Rama, which has been described as the Malaysian version of the Ramayana.
The Malaysian version features unique forms of expression and different
musical instrumentation. Pak Hamzah has again drawn the world's attention
to the important traditional arts of Malaysia and reminded it of their
true value. He also has contributed to improving the standing of these
arts. The Malaysian government paid tribute to his activities by sending
Pak Hamzah on a 10-country tour in 1971 that took the artist to Europe
and Africa. This resulted in invitations from Western and Asian countries
and regions. He has often been sent abroad for performances, cementing
his international standing and reputation. For his many achievements resulting
from his efforts on behalf of the Malaysian wayang kulit, he was presented
with the first National Arts Award, established in 1993.
Pak Hamzah also has
worked tirelessly to promote the training of his successors. Moving beyond
the old master-disciple system used for teaching wayang kulit techniques,
he established functional methods for teaching and learning and opened
his doors to large numbers of pupils. Starting in 1977, he served for
18 years as a guest lecturer at the University Science of Malaysia. As
a recipient of the National Arts Award, he currently serves as a guest
lecturer at The National Arts Academy, where he provides instruction to
researchers and students.
Pak Hamzah has rendered
significant services to the development of the wayang kulit as a valuable
intangible culture asset of Malaysia and as an internationally-acclaimed
folk art. He is indeed a worthy laureate of the Arts and Culture Prize
of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes. |
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