Dikir barat

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Musical form native to northeast Malay Peninsula

title: "Dikir barat" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["malay-dances", "malay-culture", "malaysian-styles-of-music", "dances-of-malaysia", "music-of-thailand"] description: "Musical form native to northeast Malay Peninsula" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikir_barat" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Musical form native to northeast Malay Peninsula ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox dance"]

Field	Value
name	Dikir barat
native_name
Dikir Hulu/ดิเกร์ฮูลู
image	Dikir barat.jpg
image_size	260
caption	Dikir Barat presentation by female students.
genre	Traditional dance
origin	Thailand (Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces) and Malaysia (Kelantan)
::

Dikir barat, dikir hulu or lebe ulu is a musical form, native to the northeastern coastal region of Malay Peninsula, that involves singing in groups—often in a competitive setting. Dikir barat may be performed either with a percussion instrumental accompaniment, or with no instruments at all.

The art originated among the peasantry of Patani who would incant verses back and forth with each other (dikir, from ) as a form of entertainment while harvesting their paddy fields; this would be later be developed to be performed in functions for guests from faraway lands (jamuan lebe ulu, 'banquet of inland/upstream imams') hence the art would be known as lebe ulu. It was only the spread to Kelantan in the 1930s where it is given the popular name dikir barat– barat ('west') referring to the location in relation to Kelantan.

It is still performed in both modern nation-states of Malaysia and Thailand, the former's National Department for Culture and Arts actively promotes it as an important part of Malaysian national culture. Since the mid-1970s, the art form has also gained popularity among the Malays of Singapore, who have adapted it into a distinctive style known as Dikir Barat Singapura, also referred to as Dikir Singapura.

Description

zsm is typically performed by groups of ten to fifteen members, though there is no actual set size, even in competitive environments. A group usually sits cross-legged on a platform, sometimes surrounded by the audience. Where the zsm is performed competitively, the two competing groups will both be on the stage at the same time.

In a typical zsm performance, the group will perform two segments. The first is led by the zsm ('master trainer'), who is often the person in charge of the musical training of the group. This first segment usually contains the more complex musical arrangements, and will likely feature the zsm (lit. 'crew', chorus) singing in unison with the zsm, as well as responsorial segments of singing, similar to what the zsm ('weaving master') does with the zsm, later in the performance. Though musically more complex than what will follow, the first segment is seen as the "low-key" segment of the performance.

The creative leader of a zsm group is the zsm. (Pantuns are an oral poetry form indigenous to the Malay region, and are not exclusive to the zsm.) That the zsm uses zsm does not mean that it is a performance of poetry. Like any poet, the zsm is expected to create lyrics that touch upon everyday life, but he can also address social issues, legal matters, politics, government regulations, and human foibles.

Historically, dikir barat performances have been all-male. However, in recent years, especially with groups based in urban areas, female performers are beginning to appear.

While most musical instruments are excluded from zsm, some groups employ percussion instruments, including the rebana, maracas, or a shallow gong.

Competition

In a competitive performance, the two opposing dikir barat groups both sit on the stage platform at the same time. The performance is as musical as a non-competitive performance, but the competitive zsm is also, according to one observer, “a duel of wits”. The zsm from one group will throw out a topic or question, singing it to the zsm, who will sing it back to him. At this time the opposing zsm group's zsm must reply with an answer more clever than the original question, and after the second zsm sings it back, the first zsm must take the dialogue another step higher. Essentially, what transpires is a type of lyrical debate, but instead of scoring technical debate points, zsm who regularly produce well-created retorts will win audience laughter, affection, and admiration.

Originally, zsm was limited to competition between neighbouring villages, but in the 20th century, as its popularity began to spread (aided by the ability to record performances), it became a national phenomenon. Today, zsm competitions have become wildly popular across Malaysia, and each year there are national champions crowned, not only for the zsm groups as a whole, but there also are national champion in the categories of zsm and zsm. Top zsm are famous and popular, much like rock stars in the West.

The government of Malaysia now officially sponsors zsm as a major element of national culture, and has experienced substantial success in spreading its popularity. To facilitate its spread, in 2006, then-Minister of Information Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said he would encourage the development of English language zsm, as English is the most widely spoken second-language in the former British colony, and could thus be shared by more citizens. The national competitions in Malaysia have been broadcast on radio since 1993, and on television since 2006.

Spread of {{Transliteration|zsm|dikir barat}}

Origins

Sources are divided on whether zsm originated in southern Thailand or the Malaysian state of Kelantan, which borders Thailand, or even from a wedding dance shared by both the Thai Malays and the Kelantanese Malay.

Today, zsm has spread to the end of the Malay Peninsula, having reached Singapore, by some accounts, in the mid-1980s, where it is also being promoted by at least one government agency.

Dikir barat in the West

In recent years, Dikir barat performances have spread to the West, most commonly on university campuses.

In 2007, a Malaysian student organisation at Penn State University, in the United States, included a zsm performance as part of a traditional Malaysian wedding being held on campus.
The Malaysian Student Organisation of the University of Illinois also performed a dikir barat for the Malaysian Cultural Exhibition organised at the university.
The Malaysian Society of Imperial College London, performs a dikir barat annually on its Malaysian Night organised by the university.
The Malaysian Students Association (MSA) of The University of Warwick performs this art form on its Malaysian Night (MNight) every year.
The Malaysian Students' Organisation of the Australian National University performs this performance on its Malaysian Night 2014 with Malaysian Student Council of Australia, Australian Capital Territory (ACT Chapter) and Kelab UMNO ACT.

In popular culture

One of the TV advertisements for the then upcoming Malaysian Idol had the instance of a battle of hawking trades in a pasar malam between a mango seller and an orange seller, where the former raps about his mangoes in English and the latter flaunts off his oranges in a singing manner similar to that of dikir barat.
In the Malaysian video game No Straight Roads (released in 2020), one of the bosses is named "DK West", a pun on the name of Dikir Barat, and the music played during the fight is described as a rap battle between the main characters and DK West which plays with a crowd of faceless individuals sitting near DK West and clapping in rhythm. To add to the music, the game also makes use during this segment of Wayang Kulit.

Notes

References

(1994). "Muzik dan nyanyian tradisi Melayu". Fajar Bakti.
(1963). "Some aspects of Ṣūfism: as understood and practised among the Malays". Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
[[National Department for Culture and Arts. JKKN]]. [http://www.jkkn.gov.my/en/dikir-barat-0 "Dikir Barat"] {{Webarchive. link. (5 August 2020 , 2006. Retrieved on 5 December 2017.)
(1992). "Dikir barat Singapura tawan penonton".
"Exodus dan Genesis Dikir Singapura". Noorhaqmal Mohammed Noor.
(2004). "The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk, and Syncretic Traditions". Ashgate.
"INDEPENDENT SONGS: Dikir Barat".
Sabah Daily.com; [http://www.sabahdaily.com/v2/2008/11/dikir-barat-with-the-endoro-touch "Dikir Barat With The ‘Endoro’ Touch", by Bernama] {{webarchive. link. (7 February 2009 ; retrieved on 30 January 2009.)
The {{Transliteration. zsm. tukang karut (who is often himself a former {{Transliteration. zsm. tok juara) is expected in his performance to utilise current social and political issues which will be relevant to the audience. His ability to do this helps to uphold the reputation of the {{Transliteration. zsm. dikir barat group. Leading the {{Transliteration. zsm. awok-awok during the second and concluding segment of the performance, the {{Transliteration. zsm. tukang karut sings {{Transliteration. zsm. link. (24 August 2009 , retrieved on 30 January 2009)
link. (7 February 2009 ; retrieved 30 January 2009)
"Dikir barat".
[https://web.archive.org/web/20000105055221/http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/5990/dikir.html Dikir Barat]; retrieved on 30 January 2009
link. (7 February 2009 ; retrieved on 30 January 2009)
The Daily Collegian [http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2007/03/03-05-07tdc/03-05-07dnews-03.asp "Malaysian wedding shows tradition, style"] {{webarchive. link. (7 February 2009 5 March 2007; retrieved 30 January 2009)
link. (7 April 2011 ; retrieved 14 March 2012)
BlogBuster [http://wikolia-wens.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/behind-malaysian-night-2014.html "Behind Malaysian Night 2014"] {{Webarchive. link. (30 October 2014 ; retrieved 30 October 2014)
(11 September 2008). "Malaysia Idol Advertisement - Mango VS Limau".
https://medium.com/@kaykuah/games-that-celebrate-southeast-asian-culture-8cb9bca30158 {{Dead link. (February 2022)
"No Straight Roads - Zuke vs DK West Rap Battle".

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