Being Peranakan

BEING PERANAKAN is the first public event that the Chakap Baba-Nyonya is hosting with Central Arts Library.

Our group of dedicated Baba Malay speakers would like to share our attempts to promote the language of our upbringing that is fast diminishing.

Over the last three years, we have been reading transcripts of plays in the Baba patois and re-capturing the words and idioms that still fascinate us.

We have delved into the lyrics of popular Malay songs and the wit in the Dondang Sayang pantuns at our sessions. Online and in our group chat we dissect the colloquial expressions and phrases that were parlayed across the community. These have brought amusement and learning, making us proud of our unique culture.

For this session, we introduce two veterans of the Baba Malay stage – Francis Hogan and Reggie who will re-enact an excerpt of a play that both had acted in.

Hogan, 90, will recount the start of his stage career as a cross-dressing Bibik from the 1950s to the present. Hogan writes and sings Dondang Sayang pantuns (verses.) In his many roles, he has been named Bibik Tau Yu or Bibik Lemak.

Reggie, in his 40s, plays the domestic maid who adds a humorous touch to Baba Patois, unknowingly distorting it with " her" Chinese mispronunciations. His other role as a feisty Nyonya, has earned him the moniker Bibik Sambal Belachan,

Together, Hogan and Reggie will entertain you to a quintessential Baba stage moment.

We invite you to join us Chakap Baba-Nyonya. Expect some singing.

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