Article by Subramaniam a/l A V Sankar
Curator Encik Nasrulamiazam giving us a walk-through of the exhibition.
The exhibition poster. Source: Muzium Negara
6 fortunate MVs who could respond to a 1-day notice were fortunate to have had a conducted tour of the exhibition Malaysia Tanah Airku (Malaysia, My Homeland) on Thursday 7th Sept, by the exhibition Curator himself, Encik Nasrulamiazam, the Deputy Director of Muzium Negara, now being held at Gallery 2 in Muzium Negara until October 2023.
The exhibition is shown through 7 sections within starting with the early history of Tanah Air – the archipelago and island territories of South east Asia stretching from Indo-China to Indonesia.
At the introduction section of the exhibition.
These lands were also referred to as Nanyang in the Chinese records, Suvarnabhumi and Golden Chersonese in Indian and European records and comprised lands populated by expert Malay seafarers who facilitated trade all the way from China to India.
In this 1st section, Tanah Airku, our own part of that world, Malaysia is highlighted! Various texts by varied international scholars and traders are exhibited in the 1st gallery to show the importance of our nation in the ancient world.
There are many rare, 1st edition copies of Merdeka news and Articles here to capture the mood of independence in 1957.
In the next gallery is a fascinating insight into various selected flora and fauna in our country.
A display of the taxidermy collection.
The flora shown is mostly of those used as herbs with medicinal qualities, a very educational insight into the richness of our tropical flora.
A replica of the rafflesia.
The fauna is shown through expert taxidermy work on various birds, reptiles and mammals and highlights the colourful diversity found here. It is a great chance to get close to wild animals in safety!
The hawksbill turtle.
In section 3, we get to see panoramic photos of iconic buildings in places around the country both as stills and videos. The quality of the photography is breathtaking and gives a unique, bird’s eye view of many familiar, iconic features, like the KL Mosque, to give a fresh insight and a 3D view to provide mesmerizing new angles to sights we thought we knew.
The exhibition then moves to the entertainment scene and highlights particularly the versatility of our cartoonist, Lat and film and acting legend, P Ramlee through their many cartoons and films, a nostalgic reminder to all.
The last gallery shows our sporting legends like Lee Chong Wei and other sports achievements in the country with displays of some of the old soccer and rugby trophies that were gloriously earned.
The exhibition is a work of love and done with passion by the Curator and well worth a visit to get the ‘feel good’ effect we enjoyed.
Our group photo with the Curator.
Heartfelt thanks to Curator Encik Nasrulamiazam for his efforts and explanations.
Museum Volunteers, JMM 