BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

YOUTHS can elevate the status of the arts and folklore in Brunei, but they need to possess the confidence in getting the knowledge and experience from the experts.

These were the sentiments shared by the participants of the theatre competition that was held as part of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)’s fifth Literature Festival.

Launched yesterday, the one-day Literature Festival aimed at providing a platform for students to put their theoretical studies into practice and promote Malay literary works.

The Brunei Times interviewed the team members of Putra Seni group which came first out of the five teams competing in the theatre competition.

Md Fathullah Hj Rashid with three of his other team members won first place at the competition with their sketch ‘Singa dan Pelanduk Menjelajah ke Planet’.

Md Fathullah said art and literature is vast, however in Brunei the platform to showcase it may be limited.

“The opportunities are out there but not many may know about it. We are supporters of arts and literature, we also love theatre. That is why we decided to join the competition,” he said.

Md Fathullah joined Kumpulan Putera Seni in 2011 and since then, actively performed for Rumah Pesaka (Heritage House).

Rumah Pesaka is a platform for the group members to stage performances. The performances was part of sideline activities for many youth festivals organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. A minimal entry fee of $1 is charged for visitors to generate income for the group.

For Md Fathullah, it was a personal satisfaction that arise from performing theatre in front of people that continue to motivate him.

“The satisfaction from performing and creating art is not at all about the prizes. We are doing it for the art. You can’t buy art. If a person is doing what he enjoys most, he would be happy. We are happy performing theatre,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Noor Ridhwan Razak said youths especially children must be introduced to Brunei’s folklore so that it will be popular and warmly welcomed by the people.

“The youth can work together on elevating the status of the arts in the country. The opportunities to develop and participate in artistic activities are there, but not many know about it,” he said.

Mohammad Noor Ridhwan’s passion for the arts began with pantun and sajak in 2011, during which he joined the Putera Seni group.

Director of Language and Literature Bureau Hjh Aminah Hj Mumin officiated the fifth Literature Festival held at the Core of UBD.

UBD’s Malay Arts and Literature Programme students organised the festival which carried the theme ‘Sastera membentuk generasi berwawasan’ (Literature shaping a visionary generation).

The Brunei Times