Macquarie University Malaysian Students' Association: Review: Malaysia Festival 2009

Hi everyone,

Malaysia Festival or fondly known as MFest is an event held annually on the grounds of Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. What started out as a small scale event at the pavements of UNSW blossomed into an event that not just people of Sydney, but also people from other countries in the world to see and enjoy a glimpse of the Malaysian Culture.

On the 27^th September 2009, as early as 9 am, blaring music and voice-overs could be heard from Darling Harbour, where at the heart of the noise is Tumbalong Park, the venue for MFest. Meanwhile backstage, performers busied themselves with preparations for their performance of the day, the exhibition of the Malaysian cultures based on the harmony of the different races in Malaysia. While nervousness can be seen on the faces of each performer, everyone was poised and ready to do their best during the cultural performances, as it is not just any cultural event or the exhibition of gracefulness in cultural dance, but it is the portrayal of the Malaysian Culture itself. Patriotism may not account for much, but in the hearts of each performers, the Malaysian Culture have a need to be portrayed in the very best manner, as it not just symbolises the country of Malaysia, it also a small-scale depiction of life in Malaysia, colourful and gay.

The beauty of this event is its stellar cultural performance and of course the arrays of Malaysian delicacies available at a very affordable price. Aside from the dances performed, there are stalls erected for the people of Sydney and also for the Malaysians who are currently residing in Sydney for various reasons to have a taste of the Malaysian delicacies. Some may find Nasi Lemak to be spicy, or the Chicken Curry too hot, but they might as well find Rojak and Nasi Ayam to be on par with some of the tastiest dishes in Sydney.

With the likes of Rashdan Harith, Liyana Fizi of Estrella, Reza Salleh and One Buck Short, along with the various dance performance by the Malaysian students in Sydney, Mfest is one of the most happening, noisiest and loudest event ever held in Sydney. It is hoped that this will continue and get better as time goes by so that Malaysia will be known not just as another country in Asia, but also as one of the country with a culture parallel to other cultures that is considered as great.