Izzuddin Ramli

edits Penang Institute’s Suara Nadi and finds himself speaking to writers, researchers, and cultural activists in Bual Nusantara, a podcast channel maintained by the Institute.

37 posts

Dialects: Where Nuanced Thoughts Strive to Survive

4 min read

A tiny shift in stress transforms the meaning of the whole sentence. To me, this captures what Kelantanese dialect really is—not just vocabulary or accent, but a rhythm of thought and feeling that lives in tones and cadences.

by Izzuddin Ramli

Notional Treasures Hidden in Oral Traditions

5 min read

What I discovered is that traditional performing arts in Malaysia offer more than just music, dance, intricate costumes and kenduri (ritual offerings), but also poetry—or rather “spoken poetry” in the form of doa, mantra, incantations and jampi.

by Izzuddin Ramli

The Making of A Literary Festival

5 min read

LATE IN 2019, I received a text message from Pauline Fan, the director of the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), Malaysia’s largest literary festival. She ha...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Kenduri in Kelantan: Collective Feasts to Commemorate Life's Many Events

7 min read

SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, human beings have felt the need to commemorate special occasions—be it as individuals or communities. We celebrate the universal experien...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Dikir-Dangdut and the Defiant Spirit of Kelantanese Women

6 min read

ROSALINDA KEPT HER head down and her eyes fixed on the floor as she walked out of the Gua Musang Lower Syariah Court in June 2014. Hot on her heels was a throng...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Gedebe: Being a Man in Kelantan

6 min read

ALMOST EVERYONE IN the small town of Kota Bharu knew who Mat Zin Korea was in the 1960s and 70s. He was born and bred in Kampung Padang Bemban, a small farming...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Bangsawan: A Cosmopolitan Theatre Birthed in Penang

7 min read

THE ARRIVAL OF the British to Southeast Asia in the 18th century brought significant changes to the political, economic and cultural contours of Malaya. The est...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Kompang Jidor: The Rhythm of the Nusantara

6 min read

ALMOST EVERY WEEK in Kampung Parit Madirono, Pontian, Johor, a group of 12 men congregate in a balai raya or a surau. Donning baju Melayu and samping cloth, the...

by Izzuddin Ramli

The Poetics and Politics of Main Puteri

5 min read

WITH TROUBLED THOUGHTS, Din Puteri leans against a corner post of the balai, next to a row of trays filled with offerings of eggs, yellow glutinous rice, banana...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Wayang Kulit: Surviving Beyond the Shadows

7 min read

THERE WERE AROUND 40 people that night. Some of them had arrived from the nearby kampung and the town, and had settled comfortably on the mengkuang mats scatter...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Dikir Barat: An Evolving Identity Marker

5 min read

A dikir barat ensemble consists of the tok jogho (lead singer), tukang karut (spontaneous verse composer), awak-awak (chorus and clappers) and musicians. It starts with the bertabuh musical prelude, followed by singing led by the tok jogho.

by Izzuddin Ramli

When art espouses politics…

5 min read

University students used to be active in theatre clubs on their campuses. But all that ended during the 1970s. Students were no longer allowed to participate in politics; this limited their creative development but, happily, it led to theatres being started outside the universities.

by Izzuddin Ramli