| Azlan Othman |
THE country’s youth should give serious thought to studying ancient knowledge, and learn to appreciate their national heritage, said Acting Director of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Hajah Fatimah binti Haji Aji.
She was speaking yesterday at the opening of a basic workshop on preserving and transliterating Malay manuscripts, organised by the Borneo Studies Centre (penBorneo).
“The ministry will continue to support efforts such as this. This workshop is an effort to uphold Malay manuscripts as a historical source that has played a crucial role in the country’s history,” she said.
“Malay manuscripts, especially those in the Borneo region, must be analysed, gathered and studied. The production and writings of past Malay communities manuscripts could provide valuable lessons and insights into the daily lives of families, communities and the whole country.”
The director then urged penBorneo and other archival institutions to continue preserving old manuscripts, and to cooperate with other research institutions.
Acting Director of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajah Fatimah binti Haji Aji, at the workshop. – PHOTOS: AZLAN OTHMAN
Prof Madya Ampuan Dr Haji Brahim bin Ampuan Haji Tengah, Director of Brunei Academy Studies (APB) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, at the workshop
According to penBorneo, the timing of workshop was convenient, to highlight the significance of Jawi manuscripts as history resources, besides promoting penBorneo as a centre dedicated to collecting historical items. To date, penBorneo has 271 copies of manuscripts in storage, some of which have been completely transliterated, for the benefit of researchers and historians.
The three-day workshop was attended by over 30 participants from the History Centre, the National Archive, the Museums Department, the Malay Language and Literature Bureau, the Arts and Cultural Division, and Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
The workshop is yet another effort to support Language Month 2015, which was launched last July. Local experts will present papers on the subject, including Prof Madya Ampuan Dr Haji Brahim bin Ampuan Haji Tengah, Director of Brunei Academy Studies (APB) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
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