Enhance level of awareness of Peranakan culture

MALACCA: The level of awareness of the Peranakan or Baba-Nyonya culture should be enhanced, especially among the younger generation to prevent the culture from being forgotten.
Tourism and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said failure to preserve the unique culture of the Peranakan community which symbolised the multiracial society of the country would result in its loss.
"I personally understand the importance of preserving the culture of the Peranakan community for the country as part of the identity of a multiracial and multi-cultural society," he told a news conference here tonight.
Earlier, he launched the books entitled, A Baba Album and Straits Chinese Embroidery & Beadworks at the Straits Chinese Jewelery Museum in Jonker Walk here.
Mohamed Nazri said, in efforts to create awareness to preserve the Peranakan culture, the government needed cooperation and support from various parties including private entities and non-governmental organisations.
"Peranakan culture has been a part of our tradition that attracts attention from foreign tourists and contributes hugely to the country's tourism sector, hence, it needs to be preserved," he added.
Asked to comment on the Peranakan community's application for Bumiputera status, the minister said as the community's history was rooted in the country for hundreds of years, he was thus, ready to bring the matter up to the relevant authorities, if necessary. — Bernama