The weeping cradle Kelantan's dimishing arts

The state of Kelantan is situated on the North-Eastern region of Malaysia and is popularly known as the "cradle of Malay culture". UNESCO has recognized on of Kelantan's most famous art forms, Mak Yong, an ancient dance drama, as a "masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity" in 2004. Its tradisional kite, the Wau Bulan or moon kite, is highly acclaimed internationally as one of the worlds most beautiful. Kelnatan is also known for its wood carvings, hand-painted batik and jewellery designs. However, some of these tangible and intangible heritages are fast becoming extinct due to a number of factors, notably political and economic. As a newly established university, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) has been entrusted to oversee some of these issues and efforts are being made to seek assistance in terms of experts and grants. This paper shall discuss issues pertaining to the subject matter and any comments recommendations are most welcomed