Several days ago, my sponsor held summer seminar. It is the biggest annual event where all the scholars will come from different prefectures, gathering and having both fun and educational activities. And, there’s an agenda in which all scholars have to represent their country conducting performance namely Asian Festival.

This year, Indonesia team presented the drama of Indonesia Folk Story – Malin Kundang, we modified it combining technology and ancient story. We did distribute the leaflet of the story as well, in order to be understandable by the audience.

As I have some foreign students from different countries as well, I hope with this posting, they can get to know better that Indonesia has bunch of folk stories, this is only one from Sumatera Island. And as for Indonesian readers, let’s refresh our elementary school time when we first knew about the story by our Bahasa teacher. hehe.. Enjoy.

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Long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West Sumatera, lived a woman and her son, Malin Kundang. Malin Kundang’s father had passed away when he was a baby, and he had to live hard with his mother.　Malin Kundang was a healthy, diligent, and strong child. He usually went to the sea to catch fish, and brought them to his mother, or sold them in the town.
One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing as usual, he saw a merchant’s ship which was being raided by a small band of pirates. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the pirates. The merchant was so happy and asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. Then, Malin Kundang agreed with the merchant offered.

Many years later, Malin Kundang became a wealthy merchant, with a huge ship, loads of trading goods, many ship crews, and a beautiful wife. Once upon a time, In the middle of his journey, his ship landed on a beach near a beautiful island (West Sumatra Island). The villagers recognized him, and the news ran fast in the village that stated Malin Kundang became a rich man and now he is here. His mother, in deep-feeling sadness after years of loneliness, ran to the beach to meet her beloved son again.

When his mother came, Malin Kundang, in front of his beautiful wife, his crews and his own glories, denied meeting that old, poor and dirty woman. For three times she begged Malin Kundang and for three times she yelled at him. At last Malin Kundang said to her “Enough, old woman!, I have never had a mother like you, a dirty and ugly peasant!” Then he ordered his crews to set sail. Enraged, she cursed Malin Kundang that he would turn into a stone if he didn’t apologize. Malin Kundang just laughed to her and sailed again.
In the middle of quiet sea, suddenly a thunderstorm came. His huge ship was wrecked and it was too late for Malin Kundang to apologize to his mother. He was thrown by the wave out of his ship, felt on a small island, and suddenly he turned into a stone.

Source of the picture taken from here