Appreciating Malay Language And Culture
The NIE’s Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) Academic Group was a key collaborator in a recent National Library Board showcase on ‘Tales of the Malay World: Manuscripts and Early Books’. The exhibition and its programmes, held between August 2017 and February 2018, were well attended by visitors from all over the world.
The Head of ALC, Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat, and faculty members Dr Kartini Anwar and Dr Sa’eda Buang were the key NIE representatives on hand to impart their knowledge and insights on the intellectual and socio-cultural contributions of early Malay manuscripts.
Associate Professor Hadijah delivered a talk on “Malay Manuscript Collection and Early Malay Printing in America and Europe” on 27 November 2017, where she shared her experiences examining the manuscripts and early Malay printings at the Library of Congress, Harvard University, Leiden University, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.
In addition, Dr Kartini presented a video clip, while Dr Sa’eda recounted fond memories of traditional Malay poems known as syair, which her late mother used to recite to women and children in the kampong during the 1960’s from the family veranda.
To create exposure for her Jawi and Malay Language undergraduates, Dr Sa’eda worked with 16 student teachers to conduct two public workshops on the Jawi script on 7 October 2017. The events drew a full house, and our student facilitators were extremely heartened by the numerous requests for more Jawi workshops, given the renewed interest in Jawi literacy spurred by the exhibition.
The highlight of the MLC Division’s involvement in the exhibition was a full-day seminar on Malay manuscripts held on 9 December 2017, which drew 130 student and public participants. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, was Guest of Honour at the event, themed ‘Malay Manuscripts as Cultural Memory’.
Supported by MOE’s Malay Language Learning and Planning Committee, the seminar aimed to inspire Malay-speaking youths and students to read Malay manuscripts as a means towards preserving the intellectual and cultural heritage of the community. The seminar programme was driven by 12 student presentations from six participating universities in Singapore and Malaysia. These included NIE/NTU, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The presentations, curated by Dr Sa’eda, who was Convener of the seminar, analysed a selection of Jawi manuscripts, including some that were on loan from the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society in London.
The wealth of wisdom embedded in the selected Malay manuscripts was also brought to life during the seminar, through a melodious syair recital by students, Siti Shahirah Samad from NIE, and Tysha Khan.
Also organised in conjunction with the exhibition was a workshop entitled, “I Can Compose and Recite Syair” on 3 February 2018. Conducted by Dr Sa’eda and Dr Kartini, the workshop touched on the basic features of syair and encouraged participants to try their hand at syair composition, as a beautiful and purposeful medium of expression. The workshop, which was open to students and members of the public, marked the close of a seven-month collaboration between NIE and NLB.
The ALC Academic Group hopes that its contributions have helped to elevate the understanding and appreciation of Malay language, culture and intellectual traditions. It also hopes that its Malay language student teachers would be inspired to further their interest in the Malay cultural and educational milieus through the efforts.
The seminar papers will be published by ALC Academic Group later in the year.
Click these links to view the news coverage on the talk and seminar event (available in Malay language):
