Kopitiam Gadhir: A Play That is Larger than life

Kopitiam Ghadir is a musical play written and directed by Faisal Tehrani who has been granted with Malaysia National Art Award. However, despite having the respected title, he was treated like dirt before the play was successfully presented to audience. The initial stage supposed at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (a department that secure the wellfare of culture and Malay language) but has been denied a week before the play is schedule to begin.

Despite being betrayed from the organizer, his production team manage to get green light from ITNM which give them place to act. If you think that ITNM has a proper place to perform an act, think again. ITNM does not have ampitheater or compatible place to perform a play. They only have a hall that is only suitable for book launching ceremony or a seminar. So, the audience and the actors will share the same floor.

Against all odd, the team manage to perform Kopitiam Ghadir for three consecutive nights, plus one evening performance.

Speaking the truth, it is a play which you can always watched it during students dinners and performance. If you ask me the significant impact in term of materials used, I would say-none. I would give credits for the scores because it was original and written by rising young music talent, but if the musical element missing there is nothing to say about Kopitiam Ghadir.

This is what I called a slum production group. An oppressed groups with limited sources and capital. No big sponsors, no grand props, no advance sound system, amature actors to add for the suffer, a big NO from the authority. Even the text was written by renown prolific Malay young writer Mr Faisal Tehrani himself, it seem that he was restrain from expressing art to mass audien. WHY?

If this is a work of a slum production, why they get a lot of obstacle before it can be shown to the public? What harm can four amateur actors and a song writer will do to audiens?

The answer lies inside the text. Kopitiam Ghadir has been written to highlight an event that occur one time ago at a place called Ghadir Khumm but been missing in centuries time in our community (more than 1400 years now). That what make KG larger than life. The text challenges people to use their brain and come to reason together. KG is also strategic because it will helps us to understand what are the causes that divide ummah into sects and schools.

Quoting what has been uttered by my fellow friend, the theater is huge in term of ideas and you need to have knowledge to be there to enjoy the play. This is not a play for ignorance and for people searching entertaiment. However, the theater is enjoyed enough as the idea has been put forward in simplistic version: a short discussion, songs and variety of characters.

I believe KG text as similar approach what has Dan Brown been doing all this while. However Dan Brown intentionally to challenge, but KG is to highlight what has been in box and kept silent for century to public. And this worries the authority badly, therefore they put lots of restriction to the production.

Yes, our community is not ready to speak out loud. Our community still not ready to seek truth from medium other than Masjid (mosque). Our community still can't accept that Ustaz can wear shirt and jeans, instead of rob and turban. Our community still can't hear the truth from places like ampitheater but from the altar. Our community only can accept words from sermon not from good musics and songs. Our community has been doctrine to accept words from authorised personality from government office only, not from those who live a life from the Quran.

KG production is the reflection of the event occur at Ghadir Khumm. As expected. Media keep silent to promote the show. Authority and sponsors deny the event on the promised date. The production have to move on their own, to struggle what they believe as truth.

Ghadir Khumm is like that. People questionning the event, weather it has took place or it just a myth that uttered by oppurtunist group. To speak the truth, there are a lots of academic writing that authenticated the event. There are a lot of scholar with high ranking post warranted that event. It is an event which is brighter than sun shine. But yet, people likely to stay in the state of denial.

KG is like that. So, what have had happen to the production is expected even so. But they pop up like daisies in winter. The are the water lily that live on lakes. What ever happen, come what may!

That what make KG special. It is an oppressed production. Small but yet significant. Amatuer but yet professional. It is just like to light a candle but explode with great impact. I think if Shaskespear live, he will try to do sometime like this.

Congratulation to KG productions!