Taking pride in Malaysian diversity

1 (From left) The main organiser of the Malaysiaku Celebration Ed Soo, Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin of G25, CIMB head of Corporate Responsibility Department Iqbal Abdul Rahim and Think City Foundation programme director Lee Jia Ping cutting a ‘pulut kuning’ ‘Happy Birthday Malaysia’ cake.2 A young dancer performing the ‘ngajat’ at one of the stalls set up at A Place Where.3 Sean Ghazi performs ‘Tanah Pusaka’ and ‘Negaraku. His performance moved one member of the audience to tears.4 A lion dance performance by the award-winning Kun Seng Keng troupe.Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

Five days into my internship in Kuala Lumpur and I had never been more homesick.

But the sight of ngajat dancers and the stirring sounds of the sape made me feel at home at the Malaysiaku Celebrations, which was held at two venues – Bangsar Village 1 and A Place Where – to mark Malaysia Day.