Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The Baku Musical Academy named after Uzeir Hajibeyli hosted a performance of folklore groups from Malaysia.

The event was held within the framework of the 33rd World Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME).

Malaysia is a state in South-East Asia, consisting of two parts, divided by the South China Sea. It is believed that the name Melayu comes from the Sanskrit words Malaiur or Malayadvipa, which can be translated as a "mountainous country". In the heterogeneity of society and the diversity of the culture of Malaysia, customs and traditions of different ethnic groups living in the country were manifested.

Over the centuries, Malaysia has been influenced by the early Buddhist and Hindu civilization that came from India, from Java and Sumatra. In the XIV-XVI centuries, Islam religion spread across the country after the arrival of Indian and Arab merchants. Later Portuguese, Dutch and British introduced elements of European culture. Therefore, Malay culture is very diverse.

The main musical instruments in the country are gendang (drum), as well as other numerous percussion instruments, some of which are made from shells.

In Malaysia, the art of the dance theater is highly developed, which has Thai, Indian and Portuguese origins. Among other artistic forms distinguish: stylized martial art - silat, the theater of shadows - kulit, wyang.

Malay folklore consists of folk charms and spells (mantra), rhymed riddles and jokes (teka-teki), folk songs, lyrical pantuns (Malay poetic form), proverbs and sayings.

Among them is a dwarf deer Pak Kadok (Papa Pea Pod), Pak Pandir, Lebei Malang and others.

Different ethnic groups of the country have different versions of folklore.

Bright colors of national folklore and culture were admired by the guests of the festive evening, who greeted the performances of the artists with applause.

The 33rd World Conference of the International Society for Music Education ( ISME) was held in Baku on July 15-20.

More than 500 participants took part in the forum.

The International Society for Music Education (ISME) believes that lived experiences of music, in all their many aspects, are a vital part of the life of all people.

ISME's mission is to enhance those experiences by building and maintaining a worldwide community of music educators characterized by mutual respect and support; fostering global intercultural understanding and cooperation among the world's music educators; and promoting music education for people of all ages in all relevant situations throughout the world.

The International Society for Music Education was formed at a conference convened by UNESCO in 1953 'to stimulate music education as an integral part of general education'. This has been ISME's main concern over the past decades and continues to be our most important source of motivation.

In 2003 ISME celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion the Society published "Toward A Global Community - The International Society for Music Education 1953 - 2003". This can be downloaded from this page.

The next World Conference on International Music Education (ISME) will be held in Helsinki, Finland.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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