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I had a conversation with my niece a couple of months back when I had a 'short vacation' here in Malaysia. We were talking about the subject that she's taking for her GCSE next year. I asked her, which one that she hated the most. Without hesitation, she replied "History. I don't like history. It's hard!"
I somehow was not surprised with the answer coz from my past experience I know that History is not that easy. Especially to memorise all the facts and figures and the chronological order of events that's happening, from the who's who doing what for the nation (not just for the local history of Malaya, also around the world!), to the names of the 'kingdom' where this country originates and all the 'people' that has invaded this nation. Yet, I like History coz it always give me chance to speak in front of the class whenever I have to present the outcome from a group discussion (I have to thank my teacher Mr. Soh for giving me the confidence in public speaking like I am now, ahaks!).
Unlike my niece, I like History coz I think it's important. Very important. Life is all about history. Politics revolves around history. Medical treatment also needs you to learn about history. Science also is build up from history. In fact, when I did my literature review for my undergrad project, or for my previous Masters dissertation when I was at Imperial College, and even for my recent PhD thesis... it's all involves history! Without history, you don't know how things happen. And you don't know whether what you're doing IS novel without knowing what other people has done previously.
In fact in fashion, it's all about history. How you create new designs, or even forecast the future trends - you need to learn from the past. Sometimes you dig up the looks from the 60s or 70s era and make it fresh and current. Sometimes you even go way back to the yesteryears, copying the look of the Greek goddess or Cik Siti Wan Kembang to create your LBD. Or learn how the suits has evolved through the years. It's all about history.
History gives you progression. History tells you the evolution. History tells you what works, what doesn't. History provides you evidence. History tells you life. Just like fashion and science, history IS life!
And that's why I also think, parts of the history need to be preserved. Especially the culture that made you who you are, or you as a nation. Though we are moving very fast into the modernism, it's very important not to let the history, the culture to fade with time. Things need to be safeguarded so that it'll perpetuate till our future generations.
With that, I'd like to share the article from the Vogue Italia editor, Franca Sozzani on the "Does Evolution Necessarily Cancels the Past?" which I think is very inspiring... not to let our history be wiped away due to the evolution.
One of my nephews, in the previous Eid celebration.
Love that the culture of wearing traditional Baju Melayu is preserved to my new generations...
proven some things will never fade as time goes by.
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I went from Marrakech to Moscow in just a few days. Two countries very distant from each other, two different climates, origins, traditions, habits.
However, they do have one thing in common. They are both losing their traditions. You can say this about any country in the world, from India to China. Even Italy.
Evolution is a good thing. Technology, industry, production and distribution, the media, these are fundamental for the wealth of a country. You can't miss the past if it only means you want to see men and women wearing their traditional dresses, living in traditional houses, travelling in traditional means of locomotion, as you see in movies that take place in past centuries. It's like going to Versailles and expecting to see everyone dressed like Marie-Antoinette.
Everyone deserves the change, the improvement of their lives. Nothing to say about that. To keep saying how nice was a place thirty years ago sounds a bit ridiculous when we live in a world that is moving very fast.
What we can say without sounding from outer space is that traditions need to be preserved, not for the tourists but because a country is made also of its history.
It makes me laugh when a visitor says he expected something different in Sicily. With all the movies and books on mafia, I understand that seeing girls wearing a short skirt walking into Zara as if they were of Fifth Avenue, New York, is a bit of a shock.
It's the same for Marrakech, even if inside the Medina everything is preserved. Moscow doesn't shock anyone anymore, the entire city is like a shopping center. When you think of the elegant women Dostoevskij or Tolstoj described and compare them to the women in Russia today you want to willingly give away your computers and cellphones!
This is the real problem. The big cities change their look and the citizens do the same, follow the trends, destroy traditions. Craft shops are substituted by markets and the memory of the country disappears.
Young people dress the same in every country. Only old people remain attached to their habits and are the ones who remind you how things used to be.
Everyone who travels is always on the look out for a "real" restaurant, the craftsman who does everything by hand, the typical places, the old tailor embroidering. A trip becomes an expedient to find what's typical, something that was normal routine only few years back.
Why think we can see certain things only in a museum one day? Why erase the past? It's something we should keep. No one should stop the future, it doesn't mean that because we use the computer, we can't write anymore, or because Wikipedia exists we shouldn't study.
Culture is important, the more technology will advance the more culture will become fundamental to stay autonomous and keep a personal way of thinking. A country's culture is important.
We shouldn't regret the past but also not destroy it completely. We have seen places disappear without care for history or taste. We have evolved in many things.
Only our sense of taste hasn't. We shouldn't make it even worse.
Franca Sozzani
Vogue Italia
Vogue Italia
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