Negaraku: The Sonic Totem of the Nusantara (Part 1)
By Shazlin Hamzah
March 2023 FEATURE
MOST INTERESTINGLY, historical scholarship surrounding the making of the national anthem was brought about by a chain of interconnected events that led to a profound raison d’etre for the song. Negaraku's history, based on the records that are currently available, is said to have begun as far back as the signing of the Pangkor Treaty in 1874. It was the agreement that marked the beginning of the residential system being implemented by the British in Malaya.Misunderstandings that ensued from this...
Shazlin Hamzah
is a research fellow with the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA). She just wrote a book with the title Wajah Malaysia Dalam Gurindam Lagu-lagu that explores the notion of nation branding vis-à-vis the role of patriotic songs from the 1950s-60s.
