Sunday 18 January 2015

Penang, in all its wonderfulness.

There are many things to love about Penang.

Dare I mention the weather? All right, I won't.

I can tell you about the architecture - the centre of the city is now a World Heritage site and UNESCO money has meant that many buildings that were crumbling last time I was here have been restored to their former magnificence. There are mansions and museums and lovely old temples at every turn.

And I can't resist telling you about the food. Because of the rich ethnic mix in the city, it is food heaven. Each culture is determined to demonstrate its culinary prowess, leaving the passing traveller (me) dithering at every meal. Should I have South Indian curry? A Malayan nasi lemak? Chinese noodles? Japanese sushi? Indonesian ... Thai ... Swiss ... Italian ...

And the origin of all this gastronomic wonderfulness? It goes back to the East India company setting up a trading post here, and needing more workers than they could find in the indigenous Malay population and so attracting immigrants from India and China. Followed by workers from all over Asia, also looking to escape from poverty.

The result - a truly multicultural city that works. Chinese lanterns swing in one street; turn the corner and there's the sting of incense from a Hindi temple. Confucianism and Taoism sit comfortably alongside Buddha. There are imposing Christian churches. The muezzin can be heard at regular intervals all over the city. (The synagogue closed in 1976 - but I don't believe there is no Jewish street or two here, fitting in with the rest of us.) Some women wear full Islamic dress while others flop about in jeans and tee-shirts. There are men in suits and men in kurtas.

So why, in the west, are we making such a meal of living together? It can be done - Penang proves that. I know there may be undercurrents and I'm sure it's not sweetness and light all the time, but nothing that leads to fisticuffs.

People here don't live in fear. They respect each other's differences and traditions. We have much to learn from them.

13 comments:

  1. I haven't been to Penang since 1966 but at least I will be back in Singapore in 3 weeks! You have summarised what I remember.

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  2. It's a great city - though probably has rather more traffic than it did in 1966! Enjoy Singapore.

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  3. It sounds amazing. A far cry from the fear that is oozing onto our pavements here in the UK. Enjoy and I'm glad you didn't mention the weather!

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  4. Multiculturalism can be done - and is hugely enriching. So much of our fear is whipped up by press and politicians, and means we miss the great opportunity of deeper understandings.

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    1. That's it, isn't it. It's manufactured fear.

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  5. This is so interesting! You are my''traveller'' - you go to places so I don't have to!

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  6. Sounds wonderful. I hope it really is. On our first trip to India, we were told how Hindus and Muslims live together in perfect harmony, and then heard other things from people we met there. I expect the truth is somewhere in between, possibly the same as Penang. Anyway, harmony doesn't make exciting news, as do no-go areas in Birmingham and Paris and accusations of apartheid.

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    1. I'm sure there are tensions, but I've never been anywhere so many different cultures work together like they do here. It might not be perfect - but I've met so many people who are proud of the efforts they make to work together and to respect each other's cultures. And it should make news - surely we need to learn from a place like Penang, that had multiculturalism forced upon it by the British and have made a success of it.

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  7. I'm trying to remember if we went to Penang last time we were in Malaysia. I don't think we have visited. We did mention it, though. Thanks for such a beautiful post.

    Greetings from London.

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  8. It's wonderful to hear this, Jo. We do really need to learn not to listen to the politicians and the press and form our own relationships. I remember at the height of the media frenzy about violence in South Africa, we were busy making friends that crossed all the cultural barriers and belied what the media said. Sure, there was and is violence and crime, but it's the one African country that hasn't descended into civil war so as long as people don't listen to the fear mongers, it stands a chance of maintaining its rainbow nation title. Enjoy the richness of Penang, and the food! And yes…..the weather too….*mutters grumpily about how it's freezing here*

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  9. Yes, it sounds like the rest of the world could learn a lot from the way people co-exist and blend cultures in Penang. It sounds Utopian. One of my favorite teachers... a sociology teacher... taught me to look at the different cultures and forms of government in a way that has stuck with me to this day. Rather than listing them on the blackboard in a vertical list, he placed them side-by-side, giving each an equal standing with the others. He said one wasn't necessarily "better" than another... simply "different." It sounds like the people of Penang are trying to live that reality.

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    1. And that is surely the point. With a few exceptions (Pol Pot, Hitler) there is no 'better or worse', just different ways of organising and regulating ourselves. If we respect that, the.understanding can follow.

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