Eddin Khoo is a prominent figure in the efforts of preserving and keeping the traditional performing arts alive in Malaysia. A former arts and culture journalist, Khoo first became involved in this work when the long-established traditional performing arts widely practised in the state of Kelantan—including Wayang Kulit, Mak Yong, Manora, Main Puteri and Dikir Barat—were proscribed by the ruling Islamic party PAS.

Khoo began to work closely with the great masters and custodians of these performing artforms, writing about them and their art, and finding ways to support and revitalise the traditional arts in Kelantan. In 2002, he founded Pusaka to formalise and expand efforts to document each cultural tradition, organising regular performances and youth instruction projects in local communities. To ensure the transmission of these traditions to the next generation, Khoo curated festivals that encouraged urban audiences to engage with Malaysian history and cultural heritage.

Today, Pusaka has expanded beyond Kelantan and partnered with 25 communities around Malaysia—including practitioners of Mah Meri dance, Kuda Kepang and Kompang Jidor in Johor, Portuguese dance in Melaka, Boria and Teochew Puppetry in Penang, and the Urumee Melum drumming tradition.

Khoo, who studied political science and Islamic philosophy at the UK’s Newcastle University, and Asian Arts and Archaeology at the University of London, is also the founder of Kala Publishing, which specialises in translating important books into the Malay language.