Fish fights in Malaya

Edited Title

Archivist's Original Title

Fish fights in Malaya

Original description

In Malaya, Malays engage in fish fights as a form of entertainment and betting. Participants bring their own specially salted fish in jam jars, and two male fishes are placed together to display their dominance. Betting on the fish fights is a common practice, and the event is described as being almost as exciting as any other type of fight. The details were shared in a broadcast on BBC Home Service in 1961.

Transcription

S1: Malays have cockfights, they have bullfights, they even have fish fights. Believe it or not. S22: How do they stage a fish fight? S1: Yes, you may well ask.. (laugh) we once tried to stage.. S2: How do you make money out of a fish fight? S1: Well, you bet on it of course. We once tried to stage a fish fight S3: (interrupts) fishy.. S!: for the benefit of our guests. And the fishes are brought on, just like schoolboys , you think, everybody, each person brings his own fish - in a jam jar - a special salted fish - I might say S3: (gives name of the fish) S1: Well, what we saw, and the two male fishes are put into one jam jar and they make sexual display when they are faced by the other male fish, and in an extraordinary way , put up, I don't know pins bollocks and feathers and a lot of other paraphernalia and dart at each other and make little bites and it is just almost as exciting as any other kind of fight when you, especially when you realise you have your money on one of the fish.

Time duration

0:00:59

MetadataURL

http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?tabs=moreTab&ct=display&fn=search&doc=BLLSA7938047&indx=1&recIds=BLLSA7938047&recIdxs=0&elementId=0&renderMode=poppedOut&displayMode=full&frbrVersion=&frbg=&&vl(488279563UI0)=any&dscnt=0&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&tb=t&vid=BLVU1&mode=Basic&srt=rank&tab=local_tab&dum=true&vl(freeText0)=BBC%20malaya%20fish%20fights&dstmp=1653994251404

Recording date of the original material

25 July 1961

Broadcast Date

22 Sept. 1961

Country Name

Malaysia

Recording place

Malaysia

Resource Language

English

Tags, Keywords

Gambling

Games

Archivist Category

Spoken voice

Recording context

Radio Programme

Holding Institution of Original Materials

British Library

Licensing Institution

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Accessing Institutions

British Library

Copyright Information

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Physical format

Magnetic tape

Media File URL

http://soundserver.bl.uk:81/TXXXXXXXXXXX/T09679XXXXXX/020A-T09679XXXXXX-XR08A0.mp3

Original item number

T9679

SEAH Identifier

BBC00054

Broadcast Topic

Sport

Description

Broadcaster: BBC Home Service 1961-09-22 Item notes: From 'The travellers'. Format: 1 tape reel mono. Product note: Playback copy of two 25 cm BBC Sound Archive discs: LP26206, LP26207 (Side W) Product note: Playback copy of two 25 cm BBC Sound Archive discs: LP26824, LP26944 (Side R)

Alternate date

Broadcaster: BBC Home Service 1961-09-22 Item notes: From 'The travellers'