Kampong Ayer: Living Memory

In his coffee table book, Kampong Ayer: Living Memory, scholar and author Dato Paduka Dr Hj Abdul Latif Hj Ibrahim wrote that migration has “killed” the culture and lifestyle of Kampong Ayer.

“Cultures would not exist if there’s no society to practise them. Many traditional and cultural practices have already vanished from modern society, such as padian (river traders) and pengalu (middlemen) as well as craftsmen and experts.”

“What do we want to preserve here? People talk about the culture of Kampong Ayer… but this will no longer exist as the younger generation is moving to land.”