KOTA BARU: Dikir barat, a Kelantan traditional show, is popular among locals for its unique and varied performance, using local dialects in its songs.
However, the dikir barat performance was transformed into an exciting show when the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry's Kelantan office decided to turn it into a modern version of the dikir barat to help the ministry reach out to the consumers.
The ministry's state director, Azman Ismail, said it had used dikir barat in its activities to create awareness among consumers on the latest issues and spread information related to the ministry.
He said the state introduced dikir barat modern in 2016.
"The ministry has come out with the idea of using the dikir barat approach in delivering our information to the public as we feel that the previous programmes and campaigns did not reach the people well.
"We want to tell the public about the current issues and also want to solve their problems.
"We managed to explain and expose them with the right information through the songs performed by the dikir barat singers, but the lyrics have to be changed," he told the New Straits Times.
Azman said the modern dikir barat was performed by local singers like Man Khan, Aris Kapilla, Arman DBA, Irfan Mutiara Biru and Fadil Turbo.
"This year, we started the modern dikir barat in May, beginning in the Tumpat district. It will then be followed to other districts such as Bachok and Gua Musang," he said.
He said the new version of the dikir barat received an overwhelming response from the public.
"Due to this good response, the ministry's state office plans to continue using this kind of version of the in dikir barat shows for our programmes in future," he added.