Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(2024)
Kampung Baru, meaning New Village in Malay, is a neighbourhood in the very heart of Kuala Lumpur. The area was established around 1900 by the Sultan of Selangor at the time, to allow the Malay people to live their lives in their traditional way within the city. Traditional Malay village lifestyle includes wooden houses built on stilts. This has given way to a surprisingly spacious and calm neighbourhood in the middle of the otherwise fast growing city. However, many of the houses and properties are now in a bad state, and the neighbourhood itself is constantly threatened by property development, due to it's central location in the city. Kampung Baru has therefore become a symbol of Malay lifestyle and identity.
© Anette Nordskog