PENANG, 2 February 2016 – The latest technology presents the best means to preserve local heritage, including traditional healing and other forms of local wisdom practised by Malaysian communities.

Creative Director of Kevokanvas Sdn Bhd, Mohd Nizam Mohd Radzi observed that harnessing technology is the most viable solution to efforts at preserving local wisdom due to the popularity and widespread reach offered by such technology.

“This is the only means we have of ensuring that wisdom practised from past to present can be understood, disseminated and preserved for future generations taking into account the widely acknowledged thirst for information in today’s world which evolved together with human behaviour and development,” said the former digital media Director of one of the country’s GLCs.

Mohd. Nizam supported this claim with statistics from current developments in the digital world: 20.14 million Malaysians out of a population of 30.51 million are active internet users of which 17 million are active on social media based on data from last year, which also revealed that internet usage through mobile telephones was high with an average of each person owning more than one mobile telephone.

He added that the crucial challenge lies in producing creative media content that will attract viewers, because research has revealed that youth surfers take only 3.2 seconds to decide whether or not media content interests them.

“Understanding such patterns of user behaviour will assist us in deciding how to harness technology to be an effective ally in our efforts at preserving local values, much like the approach adopted in developed nations,” Mohd Nizam explained.

He shared these views during a forum on “Preserving Traditional Healing through Technology” in the recently concluded Seminar on Local Knowledge in Healing Practices organized by the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Local Knowledge Secretariat here today.

Other members of the panel moderated by Associate Professor Dr. Mustafa Kamal Mokhtar from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) were senior lecturer from the USM School of the Arts, Dr. Asyiek Mohd Desa and USM Institute of Nano Optoelectronics Research and Technology (INOR) researcher and senior lecturer, Dr Norzaini Zainal.

Asyiek and Norzaini meanwhile described how holography technology can be utilized in the preservation of local heritage in a medium which can attract contemporary audiences to enhance their understanding and appreciation of local wisdom. These efforts are on-going under the management of USM’s Local Knowledge Secretariat.

Translation: Dr Nurul Farhana Low Abdullah

Text: Mohamad bin Abdullah / Photos: Zamani Abd. Rahim