Tengku Ampuan of Pahang: championing Malaysia’s arts and heritage

Free Malaysia Today

Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah has long been celebrated for her unwavering passion for local arts and heritage. In this exclusive interview with FMT, she reflects on initiatives such as the Pahang Heritage Festival and Tenun Pahang Diraja, and encourages the rakyat to love and embrace our unique culture.   Story by: Terence Toh  Shot by: Fauzi Yunus & Hizami Safri  Presented by: Hannah Kam  Edited by: Hemaviknesh Supramaniam   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/09/11/champion-local-arts-and-heitage-tunku-azizah-urges-rakyat   Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/09/11/perjuangkan-seni-tempatan-dan-warisan-tunku-azizah-seru-rakyat   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTExclusive #TengkuAmpuan #Pahang #TemasyaWarisanPahang

Transcript

00:00The charming town of Pekan Pahang was buzzing with excitement with the

00:11celebration of Tamasha Warisan Pahang, a vibrant week-long festival of arts and

00:17heritage. Tunku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Aziza Amina Maimuna Iskandaria graced

00:23the event with her presence, adding a royal touch to the festivities.

00:30Tunku Aziza has long been known for her passionate dedication to local arts and

00:35heritage. Speaking with FMT at the Tunku Aziza Royal Craft Village, the Tunku Ampuan

00:41stressed the importance of collective responsibility in preserving the nation's

00:45heritage. Tunku has done so much to champion this cause, to bring heritage, our

00:52heritage back to life. As Anak Pahang, as Malaysians, what do us as the

00:59Rakyat have a duty to do to further make our heritage come to life and to join this

01:08passionate cause?

01:09Make it your interest to learn about everything about heritage. And this is why the village

01:17is on today, because I want people to know the orang asli dance is our heritage.

01:23The Tamasha Warisan Pahang or Pahang Heritage Festival took place at the Craft Village in

01:31Pekan from September 1st to 7th. The week-long celebration of local heritage showcasing vibrant

01:38performances, engaging workshops and bustling craft stalls proved a resounding success. Highlights

01:45included the popular Sarawak Pavilion and workshops by master weavers from Turkey.

01:52I didn't expect to see such, I mean, people coming all the way from KL or coming. And my major

01:59concern was, oh God, don't tell me for one week we're going to be empty, nobody's going

02:03to come. But to see visitors coming from KL or, I mean, it shows that Malaysian people are

02:10interested to learn about their heritage.

02:15One of Tunku Aziza's greatest contributions to Pahang's arts and culture is the establishment

02:19of the Tenun Pahang Diraja Programme, which equips prison inmates with traditional weaving

02:24skills.

02:25Tunku is a champion of heritage and culture, I think it's very clear. Tunku is also a champion

02:33of education and upskilling, as we've seen in Penjarapanor, for example, with the Tenun.

02:40Can Planku give a little bit of background as to how it started and why Planku decided

02:45to take that journey?

02:47When somebody told me that they had started two weavers in prison, I went into prison,

02:54I went to three. From two in one little corner of Penjara Penuh, we have now conquered four

03:02main blocks. Four blocks are now all weaving there.

03:09Indeed, at the recent Tunku Aziza Cup for Tenun Pahang Diraja, 17 out of 20 prizes were won

03:16by prison inmates for their intricate weaving designs.

03:21When I come into prison, my heart goes a bit bangkak as Melayu say. The moment I enter

03:30the workshop, they all will be there standing in a row and they will welcome me at the top

03:36of their voice. I think the whole prison can hear this, Assalamualaikum Tunku Ampuan, whatever,

03:42or from my suri, whatever they want to call me. And you know, you feel so much love.

03:47Tunku Aziza also expressed her gratitude to everyone who has helped revitalise the state's

03:54arts and heritage landscape, including her husband, Pahang ruler Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

04:00If the kerajaan, if the krafttangan people, if the museum people all gave me their support,

04:07you know, helped me along the way, it was Tunku who totally encouraged, supported me and pushed me on.

04:15And this is a man, the most compassionate man, who's always so kind with everybody. But he, he, he understood me.

04:25He understood, he could see what I could do. And he totally went all out, just do and gave me

04:33unconditional, unconditionally, just do whatever you want. I will support you all the way.

04:39Tunku Aziza's next project will be the Al-Sultan Abdullah Village of Hope, a space that offers

04:46former inmates help with employment using the skills they have learnt in prison. In the meantime,

04:52the Tunku Ampuan remains steadfast in her commitment to advancing arts and culture through

04:57the Tunku Aziza Heritage Foundation.

05:02We have to have a foundation, a warisan. Every sort of art, whatever heritage there is, we have to.

05:11It is a duty for any queen or anybody, whoever is the head of the country, the first lady.

05:17It is your duty to champion the cause and to live it as yours.

05:24We, the rakyat, are deeply appreciative of Tunku Ampuan's dedication to preserving and promoting

05:29our traditional heritage.

05:31Hanakam FMT

05:36Hanakam FMT

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