Malay oral folklore at risk

Malay oral folklore in Riau Islands is at risk of disappearing, in large part due to the population who know the oral tradition having reached advanced age, and urgent steps must be taken to preserve the tradition, a Riau Islands Language Agency official said.

Agency head Asep said the number of Malay oral folklorists in Riau Islands had been declining, pointing out, for example, that there were only two oral folklorists left in Lingga regency, both of whom were over 60 years old.