Lessons in Cultural Diplomacy

Two major incidents got publicized in the Malay world last month. The expression Malay world, according to the proponents of Malay solidarity, encompasses four out of six maritime Southeast Asian nations - Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei  - premised on the fact of ethnic Malay presence in all those five, notwithstanding their percentage share in the respective populations nor the fact of an overwhelmingly multiethnic nature of much of that geography. So, it is now a settled practice of calling anything happening anywhere within that geography as a thing of the ‘Malay world’. Anyway, the two things that are noticed happening there are supposedly important from the view-point of India and Indians or the Indian interests.

The first thing relates to an entrepreneurial venture of one Vatsala Nair, a Malaysian national of Indian origin. She worked out a brilliant fusion between a Malay woman-wear called kebaya and the Indian saree, and turned it into a commercial venture. Kebaya can be described as the upper body garment for women. It has different stories of its origin – some emphasizing Arabic influence as the source (possibly out of a social pressure felt due to the Muslim-majority factor), while some linking to Indian influence transmitted through the Portuguese visitors in the early sixteenth century. It also settled down in different time-periods in more or less modified forms in the ‘Malay world’ and its fringes. It can be presumed that Nair, being of Indian origin, was not in the mood of abandoning the Indian saree anytime; at the same time, being a naturalized Malaysian citizen, she must have felt a need to avoid looking strikingly Indian or plainly speaking odd woman out while doing so in Malaysia. The thought of feeling ‘integrated’ in the Malaysian society must have been at the top of her mind. Whatever it might have been, the end product, which she has thoughtfully named ‘Kebayaree’, is gaining traction even among the Muslim Malay women, apart from the flocking Western tourists, and is thus on its way of becoming a commercially successful venture. While we wish her good luck, we must appreciate her setting a good example of how an average Indian, in her / his individual capacity, can practically play the role of an Indic cultural ambassador without being seen promoting it overtly.

The other development is about an institutional or joint inter-governmental effort of the ‘Malay world’, to promote region’s culture on the world’s map. These four countries of maritime Southeast Asia have begun preparing for a joint nomination entry in UNESCO’s (United Nations Economic Social and Cultural Organization) list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The item they have chosen for the purpose is a dance form called Zapin, which is traditionally performed by the Malay communities of those countries. The Malay are the majority community in Malaysia and Brunei, but a minority Singapore; in Indonesia, they are an ethnic minority but being a part of the Muslim majority of the country, are not actually counted as minority.  The distribution of responsibilities for this project is like – Malaysia handling the research and documentation part, Indonesia leading the communication department, and Singapore being busy in the preparation of the final dossier for submission. According to Malaysia’s Dept of National Culture & Arts, this now Malay tradition is rooted in the Arab-Persian dance traditions, adapted by the Malay people over time. The word zapin is said to be derived from Arabic zafn, meaning dancing or quick foot movements. The nomination submission is slated for March 2027, after which around two to three years’ time is expected to be taken before zapin starts appearing UNESCO’s said list.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that such a joint effort is being made by this Malay world. There is a good history attached to it. UNESCO added the garment Kebaya (yes, the same kebaya of ‘kebayaree’ discussed above) to its list of intangible heritage of humanity in its nineteenth session held in 2024. This joint effort had enlisted also that of Thailand as the fifth country addition, due most possibly to the fact of the Malay population in its southern parts. In 2025, the Malay oral poetry Pantun was added to the list by UNESCO, caused by the effort from three countries – Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. This shows a common and consistent trend of preserving and promoting shared cultural assets onto the world screen, which is admirable.

But then, what about the Indic-influenced world of the region which is supposedly larger? Can it be activated on these lines without being seen as in competition with the Malay world? Can the circle be expanded to include India, which is an immediate neighbour of three Southeast Asian countries – one (Myanmar) through land, and two (Thailand & Indonesia) through the sea. Since a number of cultural commonalities can be listed between India and these neighbours, such an effort is certainly worth it. I remember to have gone through a publication by the Embassy of India in Jakarta during my 2024 trip, where some good effort had been made to identify a number of things of cultural sameness or similarities between Indian and Indonesian societies. Can a few threads out of them be picked up, tested for their current strength, and then launched into the UNESCO project? It appears as a doable thing, looking at the ongoing buoyancy in the bilateral relations of India and Indonesia.

(The writer is a Ph.D. researcher in international relations. Views personal.)