Every Acehnese leader with great wisdom will keep copies of the haba jameun (news of the age) in his wallet. On certain occasions, he would recount the haba with great respect.

DUTCH anthropologist Snouck Hurgronje wrote in his book Aceh in the Eyes of the Colonialists how the tradition of storytelling had become an inseparable part of life in Aceh. He said the haba jameun were presented orally in songs and poetry on the night before the fighters