A different beat: The ‘Achun Spinning Drum’, will be featured for the first time at the annual National Day event in Putrajaya. The drum is the brainchild of Shamsul Kamal who has obtained a patent for it. — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: A performance by 400 drummers of various races is expected to rock the stage at the National Day 2023 celebration in Dataran Putrajaya here on Thursday.
The drum performance will feature the “Achun Spinning Drum”, being used for the first time at this annual event.
The drum, weighing 3kg and made of synthetic material, was designed by a lecturer at the Music Faculty of the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara), Shamsul Kamal Abd Rahman.
Better known as Cikgu Achun, he got the trademark for it from the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation (MyIPO) this year.
It will be the first time the drum is used at a major national event, he told Bernama.
Shamsul Kamal
“I designed the drum in 2015 after returning from a music festival in South Korea. I’ve just obtained the patent for it and am now using it for performances,” said the choreographer of the drum performance at the National Day celebration on Aug 31.
Shamsul Kamal, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), said he came up with the idea of producing a rotating drum as the only drums available were all static.
“The drums we have now are made of wood and animal skin. When it rains, there will be a problem as the drums must not get wet, but it’s okay for the drum I designed because it is made of synthetic material,” he said.
Regarding the performance on National Day, he said the drum group would consist of 400 people, who include members of the kompang group from Aswara and UiTM.
Also involved in the performance are 762 dancers from the Culture and Arts Department and 600 schoolchildren, he added.
He said the drum performance will accompany three songs, namely Malaysia Madani, Jalur Gemilang and Kurik Kundi, a song popularised by Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin.
“We have been practising for two weeks. I promise the best performance from this group,” said Shamsul Kamal, who was born in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan.
Meanwhile, Culture and Arts Department deputy director-general (Culture and Arts) Rosnan Nordin said the dancers involved had been training for three months to ensure a mesmerising performance at the National Day celebration, which is expected to attract about 100,000 visitors.
He said the song Kurik Kundi will be sung by several artistes, namely Nadeera Zaini representing the Malay community, Suki Low (Chinese), Roshini Balachandran (Indian), Zizi Kirana (Sabah) and Hazraniza Dollah (Sarawak) to reflect the unity of the people of various races and ethnicities in the country.
This year, more than 19,000 participants will be involved in the National Day parade.
The National Day celebration is themed “Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope)”.
This is the fifth time Putrajaya is hosting the National Day celebration. The previous ones were in 2003, 2005, 2018 and 2019.
