Cover Small Towns Malaysia founders Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter are preserving heritage, one small town at a time
Small Towns Malaysia founders Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter are preserving heritage, one small town at a time
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Small Towns Malaysia founders Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter are preserving heritage, one small town at a time
“Moving back to my hometown after the Covid-19 pandemic was probably the best decision of my life,” remarks Ash Raja, referring to the Selangor town of Batang Berjuntai, where he grew up spending time with his grandparents.
It’s a sentiment one rarely hears from a young person, particularly those who have left small towns to live and work in more populous Malaysian cities.
But for Raja and his friend Jonathan Dexter, a Subang Jaya native, Malaysia’s small towns are the backbone of the nation’s character, repositories of living history, diverse communities, and disappearing traditions that were becoming overshadowed by cities.
“I’ve always felt it is possible to showcase what Malaysia has to offer, like those travel documentary series featuring European vistas or nostalgic Americana,” Dexter says. “It just took many years to develop the skills to properly do it.”
Raja, who spent his teen and young adult years between the Klang Valley and Penang, intimately understood “the slow life, where mornings are without rush and you can sit at your favourite kopitiam and chat with your friends.”
Read more: 4 Malaysian changemakers using connectivity to drive real-world impact
Above With a background of visual storytelling and video creation, Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter had the skills and know-how to turn Small Towns Malaysia into a reality
With a background of visual storytelling and video creation, Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter had the skills and know-how to turn Small Towns Malaysia into a reality
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Coming from a background of visual storytelling and video creation, both had the skills and know-how to turn an inkling into reality.
Then, the Covid-19 pandemic confined them to Kampung Air Batang in Tioman for three months. “Being there made us really slow down,” Raja reflects. “We started to notice the beauty of not only the place we were in, but in the people too. It was a lesson in how important your community is, and how these communities exist in almost every kampung and small town.”
That revelation sparked their determination to preserve and share these communities before they disappeared entirely.
Small towns get the tech treatment
Small Towns Malaysia exists at the intersection of technological innovation and cultural preservation. Raja and Dexter’s workflow demanded sophisticated coordination: drones capturing sweeping aerial perspectives, high-resolution cameras documenting details in challenging lighting conditions, and rapid editing turnarounds enabled by Apple Silicon's processing power.
But technology serves a deeper purpose here. Social media platforms transform their visual narratives into conversations. Communities formed around shared nostalgia and cultural pride.
See also: Malaysia’s UNBLOK innovation breaks into the James Dyson Award 2025 Global Top 20
“Technology has been a central tool of Small Towns Malaysia, but it’s a means, not the end,” Raja notes. “Drones allow us to show towns from perspectives people rarely get to see, while social media helps bring those stories directly to people’s screens. But the key is in how we use these tools. A drone shot is beautiful, but it’s the story that gives it meaning. Social media spreads fast, but it’s authenticity that makes people stop and feel something.”
The duo has produced over 120 videos, each requiring extensive research, travel across Malaysia and meticulous post-production.
“My proudest moment? When we finished editing the video for Papan,” Dexter says. “To me, that video was magic; all the elements just came together and showed me what our small towns represent—community and harmony.”
The duo ultimately worked their way to a collaboration with Tourism Malaysia in 2023, a milestone that validated their vision on a national scale.
“But what I’m most proud of is the reactions from the communities themselves,” Raja shares. "When someone from a small town messages us to say, ‘Thank you for making this video of my hometown’ or ‘This makes me proud of my small town’, or when we hear that our video inspired someone to visit, it feels like we've made a difference.”
Beyond views and partnerships, they've coached new creators in small towns by working together with Think City (an urban revitalisation collective), building capacity within communities to document and advocate for their own narratives. Raja and Dexter were also selected to be part of CelcomDigi’s Generasi 5G movement amongst other inspiring Malaysian change-makers using connectivity to create impact where it’s most needed.
Above Bundu Tuhan, a beautiful small town in Sabah near Kinabalu Park (Photo: Small Towns Malaysia)
Bundu Tuhan, a beautiful small town in Sabah near Kinabalu Park (Photo: Small Towns Malaysia)
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Social media spreads fast, but it’s authenticity that makes people stop and feel something.
As a result, Small Towns Malaysia has become a gathering place for Malaysians who cherish small towns and everything they represent.
The biggest pull for their growing audience? Universal resonance. “I think it’s the honesty,” Raja observes. “We're not trying to polish or romanticise too much. We’re showing life as it is, and that honesty connects with people.”
International viewers frequently write that the videos remind them of their own hometowns, proving that authentic storytelling transcends borders.
Above Bario, a small village in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak (Photo: Small Towns Malaysia)
Bario, a small village in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak (Photo: Small Towns Malaysia)
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With Small Towns Malaysia, the duo hope to inspire locals and visitors alike to see the value of small towns. As audiences see poignant snapshots of small town life and portraits of sleepy communities rarely seen on social media, younger generations will wake up to the fact that these places are indeed worth preserving, and always have been.
As Raja says: “That could mean locals taking more pride in their heritage or visitors choosing to explore beyond the usual tourist spots.”
Future plans include building and connecting communities of small-town enthusiasts, making information more accessible for visitors, and empowering town residents to become advocates and documentarians for their own communities.
For Malaysia, Raja and Dexter’s work poses a fundamental question: What do we lose when we allow our small towns to fade into obscurity? And what might we preserve if we simply paid attention?
Credits
Images: Small Towns Malaysia
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
