Malaysia: Portrait of a Nation

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Wendy Khadijah Moore. Malaysia: Portrait of a Nation

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Portrait of a nation

Photography by Radin Mohd Noh Saleh

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Kite makers still practice their craft in Kelantan, where tradition, pastimes such as kite flying continue to be popular

This dualism has long been known, beautifully expressed by the ancient Malay saying, “adat (tradition) comes from the mountains and religion from the sea”. The mountains, home to the world’s oldest rainforests, are a wonderful metaphor for the past. Here live the remnant tribes of Orang Asli, “the original people”. Here shamans still go to acquire their knowledge from fairy princesses. Despite the shrinking of the vast forests, they harbour an astonishing menagerie and a bewildering flora that is still being discovered even as it is being lost. The dense green heart is the source of the mystery that has long fascinated travellers, and it continues to exert a powerful effect on the national psyche.

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