Malaysian Artists Join Peranakan Heritage Production Opening in Yogyakarta
Rumah dari Lidah brings regional family stories to the stage on Oct. 9-10, following a four-month collaboration.
Artists from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are bringing Peranakan memories and identities to the stage in Yogyakarta this week, with Rumah dari Lidah scheduled to open at the Bedog Arts Festival on Oct. 9.
The production is part of Embracing Shared Heritage through Performing Arts, a UNESCO Jakarta initiative supported by Temasek Foundation. It follows four months of joint creative work and is paired with Hutan, another production in the same regional program, UNESCO said in its Oct. 7 announcement.
Rumah dari Lidah is scheduled for Oct. 9 and 10 at Studio Banjarmili. Both performances are listed from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the official program agenda.
Family Memories Become Performance
Directed and composed by Melati Suryodarmo, the work examines Peranakan Chinese experiences through language, food, family accounts and recollections, according to the organizer's reservation page. Ugoran Prasad provides dramaturgical support, helping shape the material for the stage.
The listed performers include Didik Nini Thowok, Otniel Tasman, Cyntha Hariadi, Nurul Atiqah Zaidi, Peh Jun Kai, Elysa Wendi, Adly Azizi, Aiwei Foo, Lee Ren Xin, Luvenia Kalia and Devamayi S. Music credits name Yennu Ariendra, Mervin Wong and Dayn Ng.
The organizer presents the work around a question of belonging: how different memories and voices affect what people call home. That approach makes family experience, rather than a single definition of identity, central to the production's description.
Suryodarmo said she wanted room for different personal experiences instead of one account of Peranakan identity, according to UNESCO. Her stated approach brings histories, languages and food memories into the same performance without treating them as interchangeable.
For Malaysian audiences, the immediate connection is participation in a project linking the country with two neighbors through a shared creative process. The program deals with histories that span borders while leaving space for distinct experiences within those connections.
A Second Production Looks to the Forest
Hutan was scheduled at Kampung Media as part of Pesta Boneka on Oct. 6-7. Its focus is the relationship between communities and forests, and its design includes approaches intended to improve access for neurodiverse audiences, UNESCO said.
The event program describes movement, sound, objects and spices among its sensory elements. It also identifies children with disabilities and their families as participants the work seeks to engage.
Rumah dari Lidah takes a different route, using bodily memory, ritual, architecture and personal narratives. UNESCO describes its stage as a communal space where stories and languages can meet. Workshops, artist discussions, traditional games and culinary activities also formed part of the wider public program.
Check Reservations Before Traveling
UNESCO lists the sessions as free with advance reservations. However, the organizer's day-one booking page displayed a sold-out notice when checked on Oct. 9. A free program does not guarantee an available seat, and readers should check the relevant session with the organizer before making travel arrangements.
The host city has an established setting for this exchange. A 2021 British Council cultural profile describes Yogyakarta as a center of classical Javanese arts alongside contemporary practice, with traditions including dance, drama, music and puppetry. It also identifies the city's festivals as a prominent part of its cultural life.
The regional initiative began in 2025, bringing artists, researchers, students and cultural practitioners together through workshops and exchanges. This week's scheduled performances present the resulting collaborative work to festival audiences.