Малай түбегінің дәстүрлі ән өнері – Дикир Барат

Musical form native to the Malay Peninsula

Dikir barat (Jawi: دكير بارت; ลิเกบารัต; ) is a musical form, native to the Malay Peninsula, that involves singing in groups—often in a competitive setting. Dikir barat may be performed either with a percussion instrumental accompaniment, or with no instruments at all. The origins of are unclear; it is found in both Malaysia and Thailand, and today the Malaysia National Department for Culture and Arts actively promotes it as an important part of Malaysian national culture.

is typically performed by groups of ten to fifteen members, though there is no actual set size, even in competitive environments. A group usually sits cross legged on a platform, sometimes surrounded by the audience. Where the is performed competitively, the two competing groups will both be on the stage at the same time. who is often the person in charge of the musical training of the group. This first segment usually contains the more complex musical arrangements, and will likely feature the (chorus) singing in unison with the , as well as responsorial segments of singing, similar to what the does with the , later in the performance. Though musically more complex than what will follow, the first segment is seen as the "low key" segment of the performance. (Pantuns are an oral poetry form indigenous to the Malay region, and are not exclusive to the .) That the uses does not mean that it is a performance of poetry. Like any poet, the is expected to create lyrics that touch upon everyday life, but he can also address social issues, legal matters, politics, government regulations, and human foibles. Historically, dikir barat performances have been all male. However, in recent years, especially with groups based in urban areas, female performers are beginning to appear. where it is also being promoted by at least one government agency.

In recent years, Dikir barat performances have spread to the West, most commonly on university campuses. In 2007, a Malaysian student organisation at Penn State University, in the United States, included a performance as part of a traditional Malaysian wedding being held on campus. The Malaysian Student Organisation of the University of Illinois also performed a dikir barat for the Malaysian Cultural Exhibition organised at the university. The Malaysian Society of Imperial College London, performs a dikir barat annually on its Malaysian Night organised by the university. The Malaysian Students Association (MSA) of The University of Warwick performs this art form on its Malaysian Night (MNight) every year. The Malaysian Students' Organisation of the Australian National University performs this performance on its Malaysian Night 2014 with Malaysian Student Council of Australia, Australian Capital Territory (ACT Chapter) and Kelab UMNO ACT.

One of the TV advertisements for the then upcoming Malaysian Idol had the instance of a battle of hawking trades in a pasar malam between a mango seller and an orange seller, where the former raps about his mangoes in English and the latter flaunts off his oranges in a singing manner similar to that of dikir barat. In the Malaysian video game No Straight Roads (released in 2020), one of the bosses is named "DK West", a pun on the name of Dikir Barat, and the music played during the fight is described as a rap battle between the main characters and DK West which plays with a crowd of faceless individuals sitting near DK West and clapping in rhythm. To add to the music, the game also makes use during this segment of Wayang Kulit.