Lessons From An Arts Fest

There is a time and place for everything, including for having fun and expressing yourself.

University of Malaya (UM) students did just that during the UM Arts Festival (or its Malay acronym Feseni), a week-long cultural fair which ended yesterday.

Incorporated in 1974, the annual Feseni aims to encourage undergraduates to showcase and nurture their creative and artistic sides.

It also intends to promote interaction between students of various ethnicities and faculties.

UM Cultural Centre`s head of Cultural Affairs and Services Mohd Sahimi Chik says that students look forward to Feseni which traditionally takes place at the beginning of the year.

“In the early days, UM staff would also participate in the festival. Now, it`s mostly the college (hostel) residents who join,” he adds.

UM`s student affairs division spent RM100,000 for Feseni this year. Organisers started charging entrance fees in 1997.

From organising merely five events (ghazal, dance, visual art, singing and gamelan) in the past, Feseni has evolved into a 13-event affair featuring activities such as theatre, traditional dances of the Indians, Chinese and Malays, creative dance, choir, nasyid, dikir barat, kompang, boria, Malay and English songs recital, acoustic music performance, pop band gigs and poetry recitation.

Lee Lixin, 20, a second-year Faculty of Economics and Administration major, performed the Indian, creative and traditional Malay dances.

“For the traditional Malay dance category, I learnt the zapin and tarian asli. It`s fun and I enjoyed it because it is a non-academic activity. I also got to know more about the Malay culture,” says Lee.

It is the first time that Jira Devi Veerasiman, a first-year Law student, took part in the creative dance category.

“This is a new experience for me, culturally. For example, (it is through dance that) I learned the significance of bells in the Murut culture (the creative dance performance was titled Loceng).

“This is a good activity. I hope the seniors will share the benefits of joining Feseni with the juniors and encourage them to explore the artistic and cultural activities of various ethnic groups,” she says.

Third-year Drama studies student at UM`s Cultural Centre Mohd Fairuz Selamat is a Feseni veteran.

The 23-year-old has participated in the festival since he enrolled on UM.

“This year, I participated in the solo Irama Malaysia singing contest, traditional dance, theatre, tarian asli, nasyid and poetry recital.

“As a Drama student, I have to be involved (in Feseni) in order to learn and be exposed to different aspects of the performing arts. I feel a sense of satisfaction and achievement after all the hard work,” says Mohd Fairuz.

Those who work behind the scenes — such as Norhafiza Abdul Rani, third-year Psychology major from the Arts and Social Sciences Faculty — also walked away with valuable lessons.

“It is tough but I relished every minute of it! My involvement in the Feseni secretariat enables me to gain experience in leadership and organisation. Managing people has taught me soft skills,” says the 23-year-old.

As the ex-officio of Feseni secretariat, Norhafiza`s duty is to ensure all aspects of Feseni, in terms of administration, logistics and promotions, run smoothly. Sharifah Arfah

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (April 3 2009)

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