Most people perceive history as distant events – battles etched in textbooks, monuments mounted in museums, black-and-white photographs stashed in forgotten albums.
Yet, what everyone does today is already becoming the history of tomorrow, and everyday stories deserve to be remembered before they fade away.
This is the underlying principle behind the Living History Project, an ambitious new digital museum that aims to preserve Malaysia’s rich cultural history through the use of modern technology.
According to founder Bobby Wong, the project was driven by an impetus to make a positive impact.
“As I approached the time for a second career, I realised I wanted to do something meaningful, something significant for society. History has always been something I enjoyed,” Wong told FMT Lifestyle.
“So I looked to see what had not been done before. And I thought: let’s record our contemporary history. Let’s record and preserve the lives of our everyday heroes, to keep their legacy for the future.”
Founded last year by Wong and producer Nafhah Liyana, the museum has laid out an ambitious three-phase strategy to achieve its mission, with the current phase focused on preserving the stories of the nation’s unsung heroes.
Phase two will leverage digital technologies: laser and 360° scanning to preserve and showcase Malaysia’s historical artefacts and sites. Phase three will invite the public to contribute their personal stories, memories and experiences.
As of today, the project has recorded the stories of over 60 prominent Malaysians from various fields and industries.
They started with iconic singer David Arumugam and have gone on to interview chef Darren Chin, theatre doyenne Faridah Merican, comedian Douglas Lim, Brigadier-General (Rtd) Mohd Arshad Raji, cartoonist Lat, hockey player Rajaratnam Yogeswaran, judge VC George, and more.
“Many of the local heroes said they were honoured to be approached. Some were quite emotional, as they felt they had been forgotten for years.
“It’s quite sad, but this happens, especially for sports people. After they retire, people tend to stop talking about them,” Wong said.
“We don’t really ask them about their achievements and so on, because you can easily Google that. We want to take viewers on a journey of their lives,” Nafrah said.
“We start right at the beginning: what was your hometown like? What do you remember about your childhood? What was the family dynamic like? Were you the naughty kid at home? We go from their earliest memory to the present day.”
Wong’s team usually meets up with their interview subjects at a place they are comfortable with – like their home or office, or a setting associated with them.
“One of our most memorable interviews was with footballers Datuk Santokh Singh and Datuk Wira Soh Chin Ann. We interviewed them at the stadium, and it was great to have them walk us through the place, and point out all their memorable spots,” Nafhah added.
Interviews typically last about an hour and a half – although most interviewees had so many stories to tell, they could easily have gone much longer!
The project has also recently launched The Impact Festival, a month-long celebration of Malaysia’s diverse history, traditions and contemporary narratives.
Taking place until Sept 20, it will feature an interactive musical, a Chinatown Walk, workshops, film screenings, artistic showcases, and a Spoken Word Night.
Wong and Nafrah have exciting plans for the Living Art Museum. These include potential projects with the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association, initiatives promoting East Malaysia, and a project involving the kin of missing airliner MH370.
According to Wong, the project is currently in a brand-building stage, and they look forward to potential collaborations or partnerships with interested parties in the future.
“The great thing about this project has been us being able to reach out to everyone, all these different and very interesting people. They are all making history in their own way,” Wong said.
“I think, in this age of fake news and AI-generated content, it’s important that we sit down and listen to the real stories of real people. At the end of the day, history is the stories of people, their ambitions, their dreams and failures. And we need to keep all of that.”
Visit The Living History Project’s website.
