Posted on by Nathalie Tay
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CelcomDigi Celebrates Its First Step Into Preservation of Bornean Languages With ‘Maya’
28 May
Across the vast and storied island of Borneo, over a hundred indigenous languages are spoken. Each a vessel carrying the songs, chants, poems, and stories of countless generations. But as time passes, many of these languages are slowly falling silent due to urbanisation, media influences and cultural shifts from globalisation. When a language disappears, so too do the memories, the wisdom, and the cultural legacy of its people.
As Malaysia’s widest and fastest network, CelcomDigi believes that language is more than just communication. It’s a living bridge to culture, identity, and heritage worth preserving for generations to come.
As a tribute to the richness of Sabah and Sarawak’s voices, CelcomDigi – in partnership with the One Team (Naga DDB Tribal, M&C Saatchi), production house Project Room – presents Maya, a short film that intertwines grounded fantasy with cultural storytelling, accompanied by the launch of a pilot AI project: ‘Maya’, a language learning chatbot, developed by tech firm Replyr.ai.
“Our intention was to use language as a way to tell the deeper story of Sabah and Sarawak’s cultural wealth, beyond what is commonly seen or heard,” says Alvin Teoh, Chief Creative Officer of the One Team. “Through this project, launched during Gawai and Kaamatan, we want to play a role in preserving these languages that carry the voices, songs and stories so they don’t get lost in time.”
Maya follows the titular character, a curious young girl who goes on an adventure to capture the lost whispers, forgotten songs and faded poems across a desolate landscape. She eventually restores culture, rituals and celebrations through the release of these languages throughout the land. This simple story carries an important message; for culture to endure, our languages must be heard.
“There’s so much more to Sabah and Sarawak than most people realise,” says Dexter Anthony, the film’s Sarawakian director. “Beyond the stereotypes, there are deep wells of language, oral tradition, and artistry. We wove real poems and songs from the community into the fabric of the film, not as embellishment, but as the soul of the story itself.”
Fabian Joseph, executive producer of the film, shares, “I didn’t step into this project just to produce another commercial film. I took it on because I wanted to contribute in a way that creates real impact. As someone from West Malaysia, I’ve come to appreciate how deeply underrepresented East Malaysian cultures are in our national narrative.”
“I see my role here not just as a producer, but as a bridge and an ally to carry stories that matter. Maya is more than a film. It’s a cultural gesture. A call to listen, to honour, and to preserve. If this project can spark even one more person to learn, to ask, to care—then we’ve done something truly worthwhile.”
The film also features ‘Maya’, the AI-powered chatbot designed to learn and preserve Bornean languages. Starting with Iban and Dusun, ‘Maya’ invites people to teach it how to speak, so that one day, it can help others learn and engage with these languages too.
“AI can be more than just a tool, it can be a vessel for connection,” says Dylan Tan, founder of Replyr.ai. “With ‘Maya’, we’ve created a chatbot that learns organically through conversations with native speakers. As people speak to her in their own words and expressions, she absorbs and remembers them, then uses these words in future conversations.”
“In doing so, we’re not just preserving vocabulary, we’re carrying forward identity, memory, and the living rhythm of multiple cultures. This is AI in service of cultural preservation and community.”
At the heart of this initiative is CelcomDigi’s belief that every voice matters, and that speaking our heritage is how we keep it alive. As Malaysians across Sabah and Sarawak come together to celebrate Hari Gawai and Pesta Kaamatan, Maya is both a tribute and a call to action: to speak the words of our ancestors, to teach the next generation, and to ensure the spirit of Borneo echoes far into the future.
If you’d like to participate in this endeavour, speak with ‘Maya’ here. Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai and Kotobian Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan, from all of us at CelcomDigi.
The APPIES is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2024 to May 2025
