THIS public lecture, the second in a series featuring significant events in the history of Penang and its region, was about the latest discoveries in Sungai Batu in the Bujang Valley. Dubbed “revisiting an old relationship” by The Hindu newspaper, the lecture by Professor Mohd Mokhtar Saidin gave very interesting revelations. For example, the archaeological discoveries at Sungai Batu extends the relationship between India and this region to the 1st century AD.

About Penang Story 2

Think City (www.thinkcity.com.my) in collaboration with Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) and knowledge partners the George Town World Heritage Incorporated & Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) re-launched Penang Story in 2010 – a cultural mapping project under the George Town Grants Programme (GTGP).

This new chapter of the Penang Story will have special emphasis on Penang as a place of “conjunctures, confluences and contestations” – highlighting the multi-ethnic, cosmopolitan society that contributed to local, regional and global histories.

With UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription in 2008 and the growing awareness about cultural heritage issues, this new chapter of the Penang Story not only continues “celebrating cultural diversity” but expands to include a “re-discovery” of Penang’s place in global history.

There will be a special emphasis on Penang as a place of “conjectures and confluences”; highlighting the cosmopolitan society that contributed to the making of Penang’s “spirit of place”; and all this by concentrating on Penang’s multi-ethnic community and their contribution to local, regional and global histories.

Penang Story is an open platform for all those with an interest in Penang from different parts of the world to contribute towards “deepening” the story. The project’s focus is not only on even ts and people but also other intangible heritage involving foodways, economic activities, values and beliefs, education and all other aspects related to George Town’s “Outstanding Universal Values”.

Ultimately, the Penang Story project hopes to build a greater sense of solidarity amongst locals particularly stakeholders in George Town, where communities will deepen their understanding and be proud of their own heritage whilst having great respect for the traditions and histories of other communities.

Associated partners in this project include academics from Cambridge and London Universities, and the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS).

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