Audience Needed for Growth of Brunei Malay Literature

Brunei-Muara, Beunei Darussalam - Brunei Malay literature is still not taken seriously, thus impeding its growth, a panelist at a seminar said yesterday.

Speaking at a Literature Seminar at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Markandi Kurus, an officer at the Language and Literature Bureau said "literature for a long time now is considered as fantasy and fiction".

"For those who do not follow or are not interested in literature, it is merely a by-product or creation of someone’s imagination," he said.

However, the Language and Literature Bureau stressed that literature has been recognised throughout the world, with international awards being given for outstanding achievements in literature such as the Nobel Prize.

One of the reasons why the subject is not winning any new fans is the lack of a proper or appropriate audience, he said.

"We need an audience that can consider that they are in a position to make a decision, whereby literature can also help build a nation, raise ideas so that the way of thinking and a literary culture is further studied," he added.

The lack of audience was shown during the seminar, as a number of guests invited from schools did not attend the talk.

According to one of the student volunteers, 12 students from four secondary schools and two colleges were invited. The majority of those attending the seminar yesterday were university students taking the literature course now being taught in UBD.

The literature course in UBD is aimed at studying further the teaching and learning process of literature in a formal method or informally.

The seminar itself looks at the theories of Malay literature and the effectiveness in the study and education of literature from a wider perspective.

The theme of yesterday’s seminar focused on "Literature, not merely writing or fictional stories." Other members of the panel include Faridah Abd Hamid from Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah and Siti Ithadijah Hj Metali of UBD.

Attending yesterday’s event as guest of honour was Dr Hj Ramlee Hj Tinkong, UBD’s deputy dean of Student Affairs. Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Source: http://www.brudirect.com
Photo: http://melayuonline.com

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