Malaysian singer Aisha Retno was among the lucky ones to have attended the movie premiere of ‘Wicked: For Good’ in Singapore and had a conversation with its stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
During the event, Aisha also gifted the stars with a precious gift – the Malaysian Batik. Aisha, who said she has been a huge fan of Ariana Grande for a long time, also shared a clip of her singing along with the American singer and Cynthia.
Malaysian singer’s batik gift to Ariane Grande turned into a ‘culture claiming’ war
In what was supposed to be a heartfelt gift from Aisha to the Wicked stars, it unexpectedly turned into a debate when Indonesian social media users flooded her comment sections, reminding her that batik originated from Indonesia.
One of the users said that Aisha should’ve researched more about batik before confusing Ariana.
“Oh my God. Ariana might be confused. You should’ve learnt more about batik and studied it, Aisha.”
Another user tagged Ariana in her comment sections and “personally” reminded Ariana that batik originated from Indonesia, and blamed Malaysians for “claiming everything.”
“The batik I gave is woven in Malaysia”
Despite many comments from abroad making sure that Aisha was aware of the origins of batik, the Malaysian singer politely responded to all the “reminders” and broke the silence by saying that, in no way, she had ever mentioned batik was from Malaysia.
“Of course, there is no denying that I really love Indonesian batik because my mother is from Indonesia.”
“But because I represent Malaysia, I chose to buy and give woven and decorated batik that is indeed from Malaysia, as can be seen in the video. Hopefully, this explanation clears up any misunderstanding.”
Aisha also reiterated that she had no intention to claim that ALL batik originated from Malaysia, except for the one that she gifted to Ariana and Cynthia.
In another comment, Aisha also told other social media users that batik is something diverse, as many countries also produce the fabric.
In brief, the origins of batik fabric are traced back to Java in Indonesia. The earliest uses of the fabric can also be found in Singapore. Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, and the fabric is widely used in celebrations and rituals until today, as revealed by Dalston Mill Fabrics.
Also read: “The organiser didn’t discuss with me” – M’sian Singer Says Her Cancelled KL Show is an Oppression
