BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

INTEREST in Puppetry in Brunei has increased, said the Chairperson of Brunei’s ASEAN Puppetry Association (APA) Hj Abdul Hakim Hj Mohd Yassin.

In a telephone interview with The Brunei Times, Hj Abdul Hakim said that interest has grown especially among young children.

Hj Abdul Hakim said that the puppetry association which is under the Brunei Art Enthusiasts Association (PeSTAB) has already held two workshops; in December 2014 and in May 2015.

He said that puppetry should be introduced in schools to attract the interests of even more youths.

Hj Abdul Hakim added that the association has several activities lined up for the year.

“This August, two members from the association will represent Brunei during ASEAN day in Jakarta, Indonesia. It will be collaboration between 10 ASEAN countries and the theme this year will be: ‘Water’.

“The two members going are Pg Hjh Maskuin Pg Hj Mohammad and Pg Hj Ali Pg Hj Aliuddin.”

Hj Abdul Hakim said that the members are experienced in acting and therefore he is confident that they will perform well.

“I believe that through the participation in the ASEAN day, they will be exposed to different methods of puppetry, experience and knowledge.”

Four members of the association will also be participating in an event sometime in September in Nanning, China.

“I will be heading the delegation to Nanning. Before heading there we will be going to the Philippines to practise with puppeteers there because we will be in one team with puppeteers in the Philippines.”

“After both delegations come back from Indonesia and China, we will be sharing our experience and knowledge in schools.”

In a previous report, Hj Abdul Hakim believes that puppetry is not only a field that provides entertainment but also promotes creativity.

He also urged the Culture and Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) to provide support to puppetry as an art form in the Sultanate.

The report also said that Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports announced that the Ministry is in the process of establishing a Cultural Academy (Akademi Budaya).

Acting Director of Culture and Arts at MCYS, Pg Hj Md Azlan Pg Tengah Omar said the academy will start small but it will become full-fledged in the near future where puppetry will be included.

The puppetry association in Brunei currently has 40 members.

The Brunei Times