Azah Aziz's 94th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates what would have been Azah Aziz’s 94th birthday. She spent her life contributing to the preservation of Malaysian art and tradition. Given her legacy, Aziz was named Tokoh Budayawan Melayu or figure of Malaysian culture.

Aziz was born in Singapore in 1928. Her keen interest in language, culture and the arts had been nurtured by her mother, Azizah, who was from a distinguished Johor family and a pioneer in domestic science studies. Aziz inherited a fine collection of early Malay textiles and garments from her mother which fueled her passion for the culture that lasted throughout her life and paved the way to becoming  a respected Malay culture expert. 

Aziz became a secretary for a newspaper editor-in-chief, eventually moving up the ladder in the field of journalism. She started Akaz, her own publishing company, where she elevated Malaysian arts and contributed to a number of publications including Malaysia's first Malay daily afternoon tabloid Harian Metro and Malaysia’s oldest newspaper New Straits Times.

Aziz also published books as well as children’s songs and poems, becoming the first woman in Malaysia to do so. By the end of her 10 year career as a journalist, she founded the Malaysian Women's Journalists Association and became the president of the National Writers Association of Malaysia. 

In addition to her work as a writer, Aziz was a pioneer for women’s rights. She championed salary equality, separate taxes for working wives, Muslim family amendments and later founded the Islamic Women's Action Organization.

Throughout the years, she collected antique garments and fabrics from the old Malay world. With her in-depth knowledge of costume, jewelry and textiles, she lectured about and introduced Malay culture to art festivals and international seminars. Additionally, she wrote a book on the subject titled Rupa dan gaya: Busana Melayu (2006). 

She spent her life elevating Malaysian customs so its culture could continue to thrive around the world. For preserving Malay heritage, Aziz was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree of arts and education. 

Happy birthday, Azah Aziz! You uplifted the status of Malay traditions and will always be remembered for your contributions as a cultural icon. 

Pictured: Azah Aziz in her younger days

Photo credit: Courtesy of Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Aziz

Pictured: Azah Aziz 

Photo credit: Courtesy of Pahang State Museum Corporation

Special thanks to the family of Azah Aziz for their partnership on this project. Below, her family shares their thoughts on Aziz’s legacy.

“I grew up with a very close relationship with my mother. All throughout my career, she was very supportive. Without her support, I would’ve never been able to have the career that I did. She was everything to all of us and now that she’s not here, we miss her immensely. She was a fighter, with a very strong passion for the issues that she believed in. Growing up, she was very liberal in her thinking on many issues and wrote passionately about it for women’s rights, children’s rights, but I wouldn’t describe her as a feminist but rather more as an advocate of women’s issues and those issues relating to children.

As a little girl, I remember her interest in writing. She wrote about textiles, costumes and how they would be worn, and about cultural heritage. She believed, like if you wanted to wear a modern outfit, you should always wear it, whether it’s the Western modern outfit or from any other country, but you shouldn’t change the structure of your own traditional clothes to preserve and conserve its originality. Her book is so meaningful and what is unique about her work is, although many people had written about textiles and costumes of the region but none of them had integrated the classics and poetry that were written hundred of years ago, that have made reference to these textiles and costumes, giving us a very deep insights into the beauty and special distinct element relating to these exquisite and resplendent textiles. I want the world to know about the Malay cultural heritage embodied in the textiles and costumes that I had the book translated into English and it will be soon published, and the intention is for it to be widely distributed.

Her collection will also be gifted to a museum on textiles, costumes and accessories (soon to be announced) so that Malaysians and the world can share this wonderful heritage through her eyes and see how beautiful it is and how it should be appreciated, better understood and cherished so that it can be preserved, for it has survived many hundreds of years, it needs to continue to do so for future generations!” - Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Aziz, Azah's daughter

“If you ask me about my grandmother, the first thing I would say is she had a great sense of humor and wit! Fantastic warm laughter that I can still recall. When I was a young boy I remember that she taught me how to play congkak, card games and classic board games like monopoly. I miss her cooking but most of all I miss her company and how we shared great adventures traveling overseas.” – Alif Ayman, Azah's grandson

“The two most important things to Atok were her family and her country. She was brave, assertive and extremely proud to be Malaysian. During every car ride she would teach me a new pantun. She also had the best stories, from the witty banter with Muhammad Ali to meeting the first female astronaut in Moscow. Atok was a warm and loving grandma who I truly miss.. she also made the best fried eggs that were ever so fluffy and crispy!” – Aziz Ayman, Azah's grandson