In The Media
The Star, News & Features, 9 December 2005
THE year 2005 has been a good year for Zainal Abidin. He basked in the success of his album Puteri while his protégé Pija triumphed in the reality TV show Mentor. Satisfying as those achievements were to Zainal, they are really about setting the stage for other things he wants to accomplish. Next year, he said, is going to be the year for giving back to the community.
“Puteri was a good comeback,” he said in an interview at his office. “It was a platform to reach people and Mentor was a good opportunity to share my experience with a young girl, to teach her about singing and guide her.”
To Zainal, however, they weren’t just about increasing his popularity. Popularity to him is simply a vehicle to reach out and create awareness on positive things. The album and his stint on Mentor, he said, enabled him to tap into a new audience and having achieved that, Zainal is ready to take things a step further.
“Two thousand and six is going to be about heritage, environment and humanitarian causes,” he said. “From next year onwards, I want to engulf myself in anything to do with environment, heritage and humanity.”
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Zainal Abidin is renewing his fortunes in music.
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From Jan 1, 2006, all performances and promotional activity will bear the tag line “Zainal says”, focussing on messages to do with environment, heritage and good manners. As his fans know only too well, these are issues that Zainal has long been associated with. In the early 90s, Zainal took the music industry to new heights with the phenomenally successful Hijau, an album that dealt with environmental issues.
“It worked,” he said. “People learnt something about the environment.”
Giving back is something that Zainal feels compelled to do. His childhood was difficult and he had to work hard for his success.
“Everything is self-taught,” he said. “I taught myself to speak English, to play music.”
Having achieved much, he now intends to use his fame to further several causes.
“I already have the vehicle to spread my wings,” he said. “I now want to spend the rest of my life doing good things. I feel it is my responsibility.”
His projects for next year include working with the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry on reviving folk songs. The new generation, he said, isn’t familiar with many of the songs that are part and parcel of our culture. Many children today only know the more popular tunes like Rasa Sayang and Burung Kakak Tua.
“But what about Suri Ram or Chan Mali Chan,” he asked. “These songs need to be heard. We need to preserve them so our children will know. There is so much emphasis lately on batik and songket but this is equally important.”
Zainal plans to tour schools, performing and teaching these songs to children. And it isn’t just about being in the spotlight. Zainal is prepared to get his hands dirty in his efforts to conserve. The state of our rivers is another thing that worries him. Next year, he plans to organise a “gotong-royong” to clean up the rivers which, he says, are a serious problem.
“If the Klang River was totally clean, it could be a main attraction with yearly events,” he said.
His plans, however, are a lot more ambitious. Zainal would like to get corporate bodies involved, perhaps getting them to sponsor a section of the river and be responsible for that section.
“It’s all about changing people’s attitudes, something that can be accomplished by cleaning it up together,” he said.
Zainal has a similar plan for animals and Zoo Negara. The zoo is also part of the country’s heritage and something that should be preserved. Perhaps corporate bodies can adopt an animal and be responsible for its upkeep.
“It’s not just about conservation, it’s a humanitarian issue as well.”
One of the issues on animal conservation that has him riled is the state of elephants in our country. There are just 2,000 left in the country, he said.
“That is not fair. Humans are building more houses and taking up more space but what if you reverse the situation? What if you were the elephant? How are you going to eat and multiply?” he asked.
“They deserve respect. Just imagine someone will actually cut the head of an elephant to make an ashtray,” he said.
Thus when he heard of the charity event “Trumpeting for Elephants Charity Concert and Bazaar”, Zainal asked to participate. During the concert to be held on Dec 14, Zainal will sing three songs, all to do with the environment (Yep, you can bet Hijau will be one of them!). The performance will last about half an hour as he will also talk about the environment and elephants in between songs. Also performing at the show is the Melbourne Grammar School Symphony Orchestra and Malaysia’s own Operafest Children’s Choir.
Prior to the concert, which starts at 8pm, is a charity bazaar, which will see participation from more than 40 charitable organisations including A.P.E.S. – the fund for Awareness and Preservation of Elephants Survival, Pusat Redeem, Bethany Home, Malaysian Nature Society, Creative Kidz Networks and Clay Expression.
“We have to help give them space to breed and multiply,” said Zainal. “We are busy looking at disaster victims but what about in our own country? A lot of animals are now endangered species. We should focus on our own problems.”
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Trumpeting for Elephants Charity Concert and Bazaar takes place on Dec 14. The charity bazaar begins at 5pm and will be followed by a charity concert at 8pm. Entrance for the charity bazaar is free while tickets for the charity concert are priced at RM30 each. Tickets are available at The Legend Hotel, Jalan Putra, KL, The Mall Information Counter, Jalan Putra and Grand Seasons Hotel, Jalan Pahang or call 012-296 0462.
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