The sounds of prayer in Southeast Asia

This minilesson uses audio recordings of the prayers of three different religions as an introduction to the cultural diversity of Southeast Asia.

By David Walbert

Audience

• Grades: 6–12
• Subjects: Social studies (religion, world cultures

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Related topics

• Learn more about Southeast Asia, culture, diversity, and religion.

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Learning objective

Students will begin to explore the diversity of Southeast Asian cultures and cultural influences.

Context

This minilesson might be used to launch a unit on Southeast Asia.

Instruction/activities

When we learn about other countries and cultures, it’s easy to think that a given country or region of the world is monolithic — that its people are basically the same or that it has a single unified culture. A few general facts about a country can help students begin to build understanding, but it’s important for them to recognize the diversity that exists even within small countries.

Listening

First, play students the following brief audio clips. (Don’t tell them anything about the recordings before you play them.)

Muslim call to prayer, Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia

Stop playing when you hear the rooster crow, as there’s a voiceover near the end that tells what the prayer is.

Download recording (Right-click or option-click) | About the recording

Buddhist prayer, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Download recording (Right-click or option-click) | About the recording

Christian church service, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Download recording (Right-click or option-click) | About the recording

Discussion

Next, ask students the following questions:

1. What do you think is going on in these recordings?
2. How do the sounds make you feel? How do you think the people in the recordings feel?
3. Where do you think the recordings might have been made?
4. How do the recordings sound similar or different? You can play them again if necessary.

Students will likely figure out that they are listening to prayers. They may take a guess at specific religions, regions, or countries.

When they’ve given their reactions, identify the recordings. Then show them this map of Southeast Asia:

About the map

Point out the proximity of Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. Also point out that within each of these countries, many different religions coexist and share and exchange influences, including Islam, varieties of Buddhism with both Indian and Chinese influences, Hinduism, Christianity, and others. The variety of religions reflects the influences of many cultures in different historical eras.

Extension

As a follow-up discussion, it might be interesting to ask students why they felt as they did or made the assumptions they did about the various recordings. Of course, the nature of this discussion will depend on the students’ responses to the initial questions.