THE two-day Eurasian Heritage Fiesta 2017 in Penang drew a crowd that enjoyed good music, mouth-watering dishes and cultural dances.

The crowd also flocked to the newly launched Penang Eurasian Photo Gallery at the fiesta held at Penang Eurasian Association (PEA) Clubhouse in Solok Serani, off Jalan Kelawei.

PEA president Mavis C. Baptist hoped that the Eurasian heritage area in Pulau Tikus, traditionally known as Kampung Serani, would soon be included into the heritage trail of Penang.

She urged the state government, Penang Heritage Trust and other authorities to create a street mural depicting the Penang Eurasian story in Kampung Serani.

“This will allow more people to learn about our music and heritage,” she said during the recent opening of the photo gallery.

The newly launched Penang Eurasian Photo Gallery features many pictures from bygone days including this one showing a band getting ready to perform.

She said the gallery was another milestone for the community as it told the story of the Penang Eurasians and their contributions to the country in various fields.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was also present, said the photo exhibition provided an insight into the early Eurasian community in Penang

“Some of the contributions by the Eurasian community here are enshrined in the Penang House of Music.

“This is a RM3mil initiative by the state water supply authority to preserve the works of well-known music performers,” he said in his speech.

During the event, guests were also treated to an interactive talk titled ‘View from the Outside’ by a panel of five, comprising Pulau Tikus assemblyman Yap Soo Huey, human rights lawyer/poet Cecil Rajendra, academic consultant and activist Datuk Dr Anwar Fazal, Church of the Immaculate Conception parish council chairman David Sivapatham and Life Academy director Paul Seah.

David, whose mother is Eurasian, talked about the importance of keeping the heritage going while the other panellists shared their experiences of growing up with Eurasian friends.

Genealogist Brandon Scully also taught the guests to trace their roots using Google search in her talk titled ‘Discover your roots to preserve Eurasian heritage’.

“There is an e-commerce platform that is available for free under geni.com (https://www.geni.com/).

“All you have to do is type in your ancestor’s full name and date of birth, and if you are lucky, a tree has already been set up,” he said, urging those with proper documentation to update and create their own family tree.