ASAM

Acara Seni Anak Malaysia or more commonly known as ASAM is a group that seeks to provide a platform for all Malaysians residing in Melbourne, Victoria to express their interest in arts, be it music, drawings, movies etc. It was established one year ago, by a friend of mine whom I got to know in our pre-departure camp.

The group is still relatively young, and I believe they have a long way to go before they really make themselves known as the place to explore arts. But I also believe what they're doing is for a good cause. Living here in Melbourne for almost 3 years now, I'm amazed at how much talent we Malaysians, especially the youth, have in expressing ourselves through various means of musics, live performance, bands, poetry, videos etc. And we're only a fraction of the plenty other Malaysians back in the country.

I'm not exactly sure why being overseas allows us to be more creative. Perhaps its due to the surroundings we live in that keeps on pushing us to express our mind. Every now and then, walking into the central business district (CBD) is like walking into another realm. The locals love to show their talents. And they do it everywhere possible! In Malaysia, only if you go to certain places then you'll be able to see such scenery. People tends to keep to themselves. Even when they have enormous gifts or skills that others don't. Or maybe that's just how it is according to the system.

I personally hope that this ASAM group will grow in time, and more people will join in their cause to become a place where everyone gathers to share their bits on arts. Arts, I think is not just music, video, photography, painting and many others. Arts, for me could be anything. You can have your own arts in your own specialty. The arts of cooking, the arts of engineering, or the arts of medicine. Yes, medical people too have our own arts stream. Looking at the human anatomy is one of it.

If you're in Melbourne, and you have anything to share with the rest of us, send it to ASAM, and we'll have a look there.

For link to ASAM webpage, scroll down to bottom of blog.

The ASAM event 2010