Informasi Wisata dan Budaya

`Bedil` The Traditional Brunei Cannons

2011-09-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - As everyone stood rapt to attention at the Taman Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Saadul Khairi Waddien to the national anthem being played, the 21 cannon volleys reverberated throughout Bandar Seri Begawan, marking the beginning of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei‘s birthday celebrations.

The firing of the cannons by the country‘s Armed Forces is a centuries-old tradition, adopted not just in Brunei but throughout the world.

Not everyone knows the origin of the gun salutes _ and why 21?

It is said that the origin of gun salutes is usually attributed to soldiers demonstrating their peaceful intentions by intentionally placing their weapons in a position that rendered them ineffective.

One way to render cannons "ineffective" was to fire them, as reloading cannons in ancient days was a very difficult affair. Originally, at sea, seven shots were the norm due to superstition and mysticism about the number seven.

However, on land, with more supply of gunpowder, they could fire three guns for every one shot from a ship, so a salute from a ship of seven guns would be answered by a salute from the shore batteries of 21 guns.

With improving gunpowder technology and storage, everyone adopted the 21-gun salute including us in Brunei Darussalam.

Likewise, not everyone knows that cannons were already being manufactured in Brunei at least 500 or 600 years ago. Many cannon moulds have been found at archaeological sites throughout the country.

Historical records also indicate that cannons had been used in Brunei. The historical records of Antonio Pigafetta when he was in Brunei as Magellan‘s chronicler in 1521 stated that "in front of the Sultan‘s palace, there was a thick wall of bricks, with towers in the manner of a fortress on which mounted fifty-six brass and six iron cannons".

!The Bruneian cannons, known in the Brunei vernacular as bedil, are used not just on land but also on board Brunei ships. A record of the Spanish attacks on Brunei stated that the Brunei ships used cannons.

!The origin of the cannons is unknown, they were most probably of Chinese and European origins. The first cannon in Europe probably appeared during the Islamic era in Spain. Brunei cannons probably are more influenced by our relationship with the Chinese Empire.

!In Brunei, the art of casting metals had been in existence for many centuries. As far back as 1225, a visiting Chinese official, Chau Ju Kua, found that the Bruneians had been carrying swords and metal armour made of bronze when attending funerals. It was said that during the era of Sultan Bolkiah, the fifth Sultan, 40 Javanese metal craft experts had been brought back to teach Bruneians their craft.

Cannons played important roles in Brunei‘s history. They were used as Brunei‘s main defences and a good number were positioned at the mouth of the Brunei River and were placed there until the British came to Brunei in 1846.

Some famous cannons bore names, such as Si Tunggal and Si Dewa. These two were taken by the Suluks during the Brunei civil wars and were later taken to Manila. Another well-known cannon during Sultan Bolkiah‘s reign was Si Gantar Alam which was used during the attacks on Luzon and Manila.

The Brunei cannons had their own attributes. In the manufacture of the cannons, the local craftsmen would pay attention to eight main parts of the cannons known locally as the batang (barrel), muncung (mouth), kancing lumba-lumba (trigger), pistaran (sightscope), sumbu dan gargasa (ignition), gamban (barrel end), gaganok (holder) and sangka (holder).

Each part would be intricately designed with Bruneian motifs, thus distinguishing Bruneian cannons from other cannons in the world.

Cannons are not just used for defensive purposes but play important role in the royal courts.

Cannon shots are fired on many important royal events, with different numbers for each event. The highest are obviously events connected to His Majesty the Sultan and Her Majesty Raja Isteri, with 21 shots.

Other events feature 17 shots (for a circumcision ceremony), 16 (for the opening of the nightly vigil ceremony or the anointment of Wazirs) and 7 (for the births of Princes and Princesses).

Royal Wedding ceremonies feature 12 shots fired to mark the beginning of the Royal wedding ceremonies and 17 during the nikah and other occasions.

Brunei cannons were also used in the economy as monetary tokens for payments and the remittance of fines.

A number of exhibits at the Currency Gallery of the Brunei Currency and Monetary Board are miniature cannons between 6 inches and 12 inches long which were used as currency in Brunei in place of coins and other monetary tokens. It was said that the value of these miniature cannons could be as high as $30 (straits dollar) each.

Cannons were used as part of the dowry to be paid. In Belait, a groom had to send a cannon among other items to the bride‘s family. Cannons were also used as tribute payments. When an ‘Orang Kaya‘ - a titled local minister died, landowners had to pay a tribute of a cannon. Cannons were also accepted as replacement of other punishments in some Brunei ethnic cultures.

One interesting use of a Brunei cannon had been found used to mark a grave in Rangas.

Brunei cannons are unique and it is one of our few remaining historical assets.

The author runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.comThe Brunei Times

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (23 Juli 2007)

Marketing Won`t Hurt Museums

2011-09-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

Brunei-Muara - Brunei‘s museums need to do more to educate people to appreciate the institutions that store the sultanate‘s most precious historical artifacts, some Bruneians said.

Only two out of 10 Bruneians would enjoy history, said Lim Han, a Universiti Brunei Darussalam student. The majority of them would spend their time at the shopping mall or the arcade instead.

Lim, 22, who has visited Brunei‘s museums for more than 100 times, said that Bruneians in general find it "boring" and lack the curiosity to understand Brunei‘s history.

"One of the reasons that the museums do not make an effort to improve, is because Bruneians do not treasure the place," he said, adding that there were instances where the air-conditioner was not functioning during his visits.

The student majoring in primary education, said that when he last visited the museum one week ago, there were only a few tourists and "one or two Bruneians".

He said that he enjoyed going to the museum because "being there to see the display of artifacts, I feel closer to what happened in the past."

Lim suggested the idea of the museums organising annual competitions and inviting children as part of their school excursion trips.

"Most children study history based on the memorisation of facts, rather than fully understanding," he added.

Harpan Hj Yusof, a father of three said that the museums need to improve their image by introducing new ideas on showcasing the artifacts, which signify Brunei‘s rich local and cultural heritage.

"It is a bit sad that most Bruneians are not really interested in the history of Brunei, but would go to The Mall for entertainment purposes," said Mohd Azwan Hj Mahudin.

The Institut Teknologi Brunei student, who last visited the Royal Regalia Building three years ago, said that museums can be a family outing that allow family members to bond.

More information dissemination would help the museums to stimulate interest among Bruneians, he said.

The Brunei Museum in Kota Batu has collections on Islamic art documenting the origins of Brunei‘s culture, military artifacts and a wide range of natural history subjects, particularly the fauna of Brunei Darussalam.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (23 Juli 2007)

History Of Thailand

2011-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Thais are related linguistically to Tai groups originating in southern China. Migrations from southern China to Southeast Asia may have occurred in the 6th and 7th centuries. According to www.state.gov/r/, Malay, Mon, and Khmer civilisations flourished in the region prior to the arrival of the ethnic Tai.

Thais date the founding of their nation to the 13th century. According to tradition, in 1238, Thai chieftains overthrew their Khmer overlords at Sukhothai and established a Thai kingdom. After its decline, a new Thai kingdom emerged in 1350 on the Chao Praya River.

The first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai was founded in 1238, followed by the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th _ 15th century AD.

A century later, Sukhothai‘s power was overshadowed by the larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century. After the sack of Angkor by the Siamese armies in 1431, much of the Khmer court and its Hindu customs were brought to Ayuthaya, and Khmer customs and rituals were adopted into the courtly culture of Siam.

After Ayuthaya fell in 1767 to the Burmese, Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great. The current (Ratthanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great, says wikipedia.org.

Pibul Songgram and Pridi Phanomyang, both educated in Europe and influenced by Western ideas, came to dominate Thai politics in the ensuing years. In 1934 the first general elections were held; a year later Prajadhipok abdicated, and a council of regency chose Ananda (reigned 1935-46) as Rama VIII. Pibul Songgram, a militarist, became premier in 1938. He changed the country‘s name to Thailand and instituted a programme of expansion. Taking advantage of the initial French defeat (1940) in World War II, he renewed Thai claims in Cambodia and Laos. Japanese mediation resulted (1941) in territorial concessions to Thailand. At the outbreak of World War II, Japanese forces attacked Thailand. After five hours of token resistance Thailand yielded to Japan on December 8, 1941, subsequently becoming a staging area for the Japanese campaign against Malaya. Following the demise of a pro-Japanese puppet government in July 1944, Thailand repudiated the declaration of war it had been forced to make in 1942 against Britain and the US, according to www.infoplease.com.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (23 Juli 2007)

Lectures On Comparative Literature For A New, Radical Perspective

2011-09-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Southeast Literature Council (MASTERA) will be conducting a series of lectures on comparative literature on July 28 at Balai Sarmayuda, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Brunei in the effort to bring a new, radical and pragmatic territorial perspective for local literature in relation with the archipelago context.

Two lectures will be delivered by Prof Dr Abdul Hadi W.M. of Universiti Paramadina, Indonesia in the one-day event.

The opening ceremony of the event will be conducted by Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Ismail bin Haji Duraman, the Vice Chancellor ofUniversiti Brunei Darussalam.

The Director of DBP Dr Mataim bin Bakar in his capacity as the chairman of MASTERA of Brunei Darussalam will also deliver a speech.

At the closing ceremony, a speech will be delivered by lecturer Prof Abdul Hadi W.M. who will be presented with souvenirs.

The output of the lectures will be of utmost significance to local researchers of Malay literature in their attempt to compare local works with established regional writers.

The lectures, organised by the Southeast Asia Literature Council (MASTERA) has been conducted annually since 1997 commencing with Dr Sapardi Djoko Damono from Indonesia conducted a lecture, Modern Literature of Indonesia: Hybrid Literature.

Prof Dr Md Salleh Yaapar of Malaysia delivered a lecture on "Literature Comparison and 21st Century Southeast Asia Literature" in 1998.

It was the turn of the late Dr Luisa J Mallari Hall of the Philippines in 1999 when she made a literary comparison between the Philippines and Malaysia.

A Universiti Brunei Darussalam lecturers, Dr Ampuan Hj Brahim bin Hj Tengah, delivered a similar lecture entitled "Brunei Literature as an entity of Southeast Asian Literature" in 2000. Associate Professor Dr Hadijah Rahmat of University Technology Nanyang, Singapore delivered a similar lecture, Malay Indonesian Literature and the Capability of Poet Munsyi Abdullah and Hamzah Fanshuri, in 2001.

In 2002, a lecture entitled Relationship of Malay and Thailand Literature was conducted by Associate Professor Rattiya Salleh,` the deputy head of Thai and Eastern Languages Department and Malay Language course coordinator at the Thaksin university, Thailand.

In 2003, local literature activists listened to such lecture conducted by Dr Budi Darma of Indonesia who delivered "The Anatomy of Comparative Literature".

In 2004, it was the turn of Malaysian Prof Madya Dr Sahlan Mohd Saman to give out such lecture entitled Malaysian Literature in relation with Malay Archipelago Literature.

Prof Madya Dr Hj Hashim bin Hj Abd Hamid of Universiti Brunei Darussalam delivered a series of 4 lecturers in 2005 in relation with the topic "Jalur Sastera Brunei Dalam Sastera Nusantara" (Varieties of Brunei Literature in the Literature of the Malay Archipelago).

Last year it was the turn of Prof Madya Dr. Shahrudin bin Maaruf of National University of Singapore delivering a lecture entitled "Eternal and Dedication in Regional Literature".

Source: www.brudirect.com (23 Juli 2007)

Seeking Fresh Blood at Silat Championships

2011-09-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan- The 2007 Brunei Darussalam National Silat Championships was officially launched at the Multi pupose hall, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex in Berakas last night.

Held in conjunction with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam‘s 61st birthday celebration, the tournament also acts as a pre-selection process for the national team.

On hand to launch the event was Hj Musa Pengarah Hj Jair, the first deputy vice-president of the Brunei Darussalam National Silat Association (Persib).

The honours of citing the national "pesilat" oath was given to 16-year-old exponent, Nurul Aimi Amalidya Zainidi, who did the country proud at the 2007 World Pencak Silat Junior Championships in Singapore when she bagged the gold medal in the "seni bela diri" category and silver in the "tanding" (class A) category.

Although the official launching was in the evening, the tournament had begun its preliminary matches at 2pm, with the men‘s "tanding" (class A and C), "silat cakak asli"and "kuntau".

The men‘s and women‘s "seni bela diri" matches were held last evening, with the men‘s "tanding" (class B) closing the night.

The "tanding", "silat cakak asli" and "kuntau" categories for both men and women will continue today until July 27.

More than 200 participants are competing this year coming from Brunei-Muara, Tutong, Belait, Temburong as well as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force, Brunei Darussalam Prison Department and Sports School.The Brunei Times

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (23 Juli 2007)

Govt`s Agencies to Hold Cultural Products Weeks 2007

2011-09-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - For the first time 12 government agencies with the Chamber Of Commerce and industry (Kadin) and the National Handicraft Council will hold an "Indonesian Cultural Products Week 2007" at the Jakarta Convention Center on July 11-15, 2007.

The activity, which will carry the theme: "A Bunch of Flowers of Indonesian Cultural Products for the World", will present the best handicraft products from various areas in Indonesia.

It will also show traditional food from 33 provinces, arts performance from 5 tourist destination areas and cross-Malay traditions from six regions.

Several provinces that will present performance of arts are East Nusa Tenggara, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Riau, Riau Islands, West Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra, and West Kalimantan.

Chairman of the Cultural Product Week 2007 committee, Sakri Widianto said the event constitute a meeting site of policy makers, professional associations, businessmen, artists, craftsmen, financial agencies and the community.

"This meeting is important to increase the commitment and synergy in developing cultural products as the strength of national economy," said Sakri.

During the Cultural and Tourism National Coordinating Meeting June 27-29 in Jakarta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that the economic prospect in the fourth wave of civilisation would originate in the cultural wealth, including the legacy of the past that was united with tourism, including ecotourism as one integrity.

"To welcome this matter and to develop the positive image for the Indonesian cultural product in the eyes of the world, we will hold this event in one week time by producing exhibitions, seminars and training as well as performance of cultural art," said Sakri.

Source: www.antara.co.id (23 Juli 2007)

Dikir Barat Way To Instil Patriotism - Zam

2011-09-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

Kota Baharu - The Information Ministry will use "dikir barat" (a traditional Malay music) as a medium to instil patriotism for the nation among the people.

Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin Malaysia`s excellence and glory over 50 years of nationhood could be portrayed with more fervour to the people and the world through the traditional musical performances.

"Besides being entertained, we can educate the people, especially the younger set, on our nation`s rich and colourful history.

"Dikir barat performers can convey these messages to the audience to instil love and affection for our blessed country," he said in his speech at the closing of the national-level Merdeka Dikir Barat Festival here last night.

The text of his speech was read out by ministry secretary-general Datuk Siti Balkish Mohd Shariff.

Zainuddin said dikir barat was no longer considered the culture of the people in the east coast states but a Malaysian traditional culture and arts.

Dikir barat`s uniqueness and richness could be highlighted to evoke patriotism among the audience, particularly the younger generation, he added.

At the festival, Padang Lembik Smart Community emerged champion, winning a RM5,000 cash prize and a certificate, while Nara Merkang Smart Community in Pasir Puteh adjudged runner-up received RM3,000 and a certificate.

Six troupes from Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perlis took part in the festival.

Source: www.bernama.com (23 Juli 2007)

South Sulawesi: Entering Tana Toraja Via The `Back Door`

2011-09-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi - The straps of my backpack cut into my shoulders and my legs ached as I struggled up the last steep rise through the pine trees.

Ahead of me lay another two days of walking along 50 kilometers of mountain track, and I began to wonder if this was a good idea. As the ground levelled and a cooling breeze ran in, a heartening view opened in both directions.

Behind me the long green curve of the Mamasa Valley ran away to the west, and ahead, beyond an army of interlocking spurs and ridges, lay my destination: Tana Toraja.

*****

The highland fastness of Tana Toraja in Sulawesi is famed for its traditional culture. Most visitors arrive by bus or air from Makassar, the capital and main gateway of Sulawesi, but I had decided to slip in through the back door, a route that meant three days of hard walking through remote mountain villages.

From Makassar I travelled north by bus, following the coast road. The blue water of the Makassar Strait shone in the sunlight; inland, knobbly limestone hills rose from the plain.

In the town of Polewali I transferred to a passenger jeep. Soon I was peering out through the mist at high forested hills.

The journey from Polewali to Mamasa is less than 100 kilometers, but the road is a wild one, doubling back and forth up sheer hillsides and dipping into sodden valleys. It took more than five hours, and I reached Mamasa long after dark.

Mamasa town is the capital of the region of the same name, a bustling little place beside a shining river, hemmed in by green hills.

Mamasa is sometimes known as West Toraja, and it shares many characteristics with its famous neighbor across the mountains. There is beautiful upland scenery, a host of traditional villages, and some remarkable architecture.

But Mamasa has no air transport and the road from the coast is terrible. It is far more remote than Toraja, and almost untouched by tourism.

Reaching the summit

The next morning I took an ojek (motorcycle taxi) east along the valley. The mountain air was clear. Horses and buffalo grazed on the cropped pastures between the pine trees. The road deteriorated the further we went, and at the tiny hamlet of Pa`kassasan the driver left me. I shouldered my backpack and started walking.

The track wound gently though villages, some with beautiful traditional houses. The houses of Mamasa are known as banua sura, and are similar to the famed tongkonan of Toraja, decorated in blacks, reds and golds.

Beyond the last village the road began to climb steeply through the creaking forest. I sweated and my pack felt terribly heavy, but eventually I reached a tiny cluster of wooden houses called Pasapa.

The name means "summit" in the local language, and that`s just what it was. I could see Mamasa far behind me, gray cloud now rolling in, and ahead was the road to Toraja.

After a cup of sweet, dark coffee in a little shack by the roadside I set out downhill through the forest to the hamlet of Timbaan where Ibu Maria, a kindly middle-aged lady, runs a simple homestay for passing trekkers.

Timbaan was a peaceful place at the head of a long valley. I sat outside the rickety wooden house resting my tired feet in the afternoon listening to the sounds of the village: children`s voices, the crowing of roosters and the lowing of buffalo from the terraces below the road.

A century ago all the people of the Mamasa area followed their own ancestor-worshipping religion. The first Dutch missionaries did not reach the valley until the 1920s, but as in Toraja the majority are Christian now.

As well as a simple church, Timbaan had a tiny mosque with a rusted steel dome. But there was no electricity here, and no loudspeaker to amplify the muezzin`s call to evening prayer in the purple light of dusk.

`It could have been Scotland`

In the morning I set out downhill. The highland landscape was surreally beautiful, wisps of damp cloud smoking off the hillsides and layers of thin mist clinging to the pine trees.

This was a strange place where tropical and alpine worlds met. I passed through hamlets with palms and banana trees, then entered tall stands of sweet-scented spruce.

At lunchtime, after crossing the Masuppu River and climbing steeply through rice terraces I reached the village of Ponding, the last in Mamasa district. I stopped to chat for a while with Dr Teddy, a charming young Jakarta native. He and another doctor run the little clinic that serves the valley.

I plodded onward uphill. The sun was shining brightly now and the water glittered in the rice fields. The road was in a terrible state, surfaced with jagged, football-sized boulders.

I was astonished that vehicles ever managed to pass this way, and I was happy to be on foot, not bouncing in the back of a jeep. Even so, I was glad when I reached the village of Paku where I stopped for the night in a family home.

Somewhere after Ponding I had crossed the invisible boundary from the new province of West Sulawesi, and I was now on the fringes of Tana Toraja.

Paku was another perfect mountain village, full of gentle sound, and after a simple dinner of rice and fried fish I fell asleep listening to the rain pattering on the tin roof.

It was uphill again in the morning through cool shade. An hour out of Paku I reached a pass where the track was a mess of yellow mud. Here I felt far from the tropics. There were no houses or rice terraces; only mist, pines and a cool breeze. It could have been Scotland.

Indonesia reappeared a couple of hours later as I shambled into the big village of Bittuang. Suddenly after three days walking along a rough track the road surface changed to asphalt, and soon I was sitting in a passenger jeep, racing through the hills towards the Torajan heartland.

Sheer cliffs, epic funerals

Tana Toraja needs little introduction. Sprawling over the mountainous hinterland of South Sulawesi, it stands out even in Indonesia`s spectacular myriad of traditional cultures. Stunning scenery and tumbling rice terraces, villages of remarkable tongkonan houses, sheer cliff faces where mysterious effigies stare out from carved niches, and wild funerals when buffalo are sacrificed combine to make Tana Toraja one of the most fabled destinations in the archipelago.

Arriving on foot through seemingly endless mountains, it was easy for me to see why strong traditions had survived here, cut off from the outside world.

Apart from a brief and unhappy occupation by Bugis warriors from the coast in the 17th Century, Toraja remained utterly isolated until last century.

It was only in the early 1900s that the Dutch colonial authorities fought their way in and took control.

Enthusiastic Protestant missionaries arrived in 1913, but they met with scant success: Two decades later there were fewer than 2000 Torajan Christians, and even at Indonesian Independence the majority still clung to their traditional Aluk Todolo religion, a blend of animism and ancestor worship.

Now the majority in Toraja are Christian, but the new faith has accommodated many old ways. The dead are still buried in caves; effigies, known as tau tau, are still carved and placed in cliff face niches and, most importantly, epic funerals of bloody sacrifice are held every year in the dry months of July and August.

*****

After resting my blistered feet for a night in the busy little market town of Rantepao I hired a motorbike and set out to explore.

Some of the traditional sites around Toraja have been geared up for tourists. At the village of Ke`te Kesu there are souvenir stalls and a ticket booth, and likewise at the cave graves of Londa and Lemo.

But these are no mummified vestiges of a culture. Head out on the network of winding lanes that lead into the hills and you will find that almost every village has a rank of spectacular tongkonan houses.

The buildings are said to represent a boat, with an arched roofline and a high decorated prow and are often adorned with tall columns of buffalo horns, a symbol of status, and protection from evil spirits.

They are always aligned north-south, and are faced by a row of rice barns, carved and roofed in similar style.

I spent a night sleeping in a tongkonan in the cool air of Batu Tumonga, a tiny village high on a mountainside. The views were spectacular, and in the silent darkness the lights of Rantepao glittered far below and a yellow moon rose behind the hills.

In the morning I rode on, often losing my way among the rice fields and stopping in nameless hamlets to admire the buildings and chat with the friendly villagers.

I could have spent weeks exploring the area, but my time was running out. That evening I rode back to Rantepao, and left Toraja, heading back to Makassar the usual way -- by bus!

Getting there

The main gateway to South Sulawesi is the capital, Makassar. The city`s Hasanuddin Airport is well served with links to destinations throughout Indonesia, and a few international flights. Makassar is also a major hub for sea transport.

Buses run regularly from Makassar to Tana Toraja (journey about eight hours) and there are several flights a week by small aircraft to the tiny Pongtiku Airport near Rantepao.

A few direct buses run between Mamasa and the capital, but it`s usually easier to take a bus or passenger jeep to Polewali and transfer there. It`s a long trip, taking about 12 hours.

The track between Mamasa and Bittuang is just about traversable by sturdy four-wheel-drive; a few battered passenger jeeps run intermittently along sections of the route.

However, the road is in an appalling condition, especially between Ponding and Paku. Traveling by vehicle would be no fun at all here -- it`s best to walk and enjoy the scenery.

The Tana Toraja region has a good network of bemo (minibus) routes, and cars and motorbikes are available for hire in Rantepao, both with and without driver.

Accommodation There are a few guesthouses in Mamasa. Matana Lodge is the main hotel, but better rooms in a peaceful location are available at Guesthouse Gereja on the edge of town.

Along the trek from Mamasa to Bittuang there are a couple of organized homestays, such as Homestay Maria in Timbaan. These are simple affairs -- just a bed in a family home.

Villagers along the track are used to seeing trekkers and it is possible to stay with families in most villages. Expect to pay about Rp 50,000 per night, including dinner and breakfast.

Rantepao is the main center for accommodation in Tana Toraja and there is a wide range of hotels and guesthouses. Try the Wisma Maria 1 for cheap, clean rooms, or the nearby Hotel Indra for something a little more expensive.

There are simple guesthouses and a few upmarket hotels in many villages in the area.

Trekking

The route from Mamasa to Bittuang is very simple, and there is really no need for a guide or even a detailed map. Accommodation is available in the villages and simple supplies can be bought along the way.

If you`d rather not carry your own pack, though, guides, porters and horses can be arranged in both Mamasa town and in Rantepao. There are many other trekking routes in Mamasa and Toraja, some of them passing through remote areas. Guides are a good idea for these routes.

Source: www.thejakartapost.com (23 Juli 2007)

Showcase Of Crafts From The Malay Archipelago

2011-09-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

Kuala Lumpur - An exhibition on the crafts unique to the Malay archipelago, especially crafts from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, is to be held at the Craft Complex here from July 26.

The five day event themed `Craft - A Heritage of the Archipelago` is the fifth edition of the Archipelago Craft Promotions organised through Kraftangan Malaysia by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage (KEKKWA).

According to the Principal Assistant Director of Kraftangan Malaysia`s Public Relations Department, Faezah Abd Aziz, the event is to showcase the diverse range of crafts available and enhance craftsmanship skills in the region.

Apart from that, the promotion serves as reference point on the craft found in the three nations and provide new ideas for entrepreneurs.

About 160 craftsmen are participating in the event. Apart from craft, culture and arts promotion, visitors will be entertained with fashion and cultural shows.

The exhibition is open to the public from 9.30 am to 7 pm throughout the five days.

Source: www.bernama.com.my (23 Juli 2007)

Traditional Music & Dance Festival

2011-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Malaysia- The Traditional Music & Dance Festival will be held for 10 days beginning from July 20, to coincide with the Kuala Lumpur-Festival 2007, which celebrates the beauty and diversity of culture, arts and heritage in Malaysia.

Organised by Central Market, it will present music and dances from various ethnic groups in Malaysia.

There will also be various music and dance workshops for visitors and locals alike. Of great interest will be the angklung performance, an indigenous Malay musical instrument in the form of bamboo shakers, producing musical notes of a percussion variety.

The show will be from July 24 to July 29, from 12pm to 7pm.

The Traditional Music & Dance Festival begins with Multi Cultural Dance Performance on July 21, where children and teenagers will present various cultural dances in Malaysia. The highlight will be the beautiful costumes and performances by these groups of youths.

The next day will see ethnic dances from all over Malaysia, under the banner Ethnic Dance of Malaysia. Here, one is able to view the traditional dances from Sabah and Sarawak by the minority ethnic community such as the Ibans` and the Kadazans`. The dances will be shown in a 30 minute performance at 5pm.

The following Saturday will see the Farmer Night Dance - performance, where probes such as bamboo`s, tempurung (coconut shells)- and wan bulan (traditional kites) will be used by the dancers, to learn some interesting local music and dances.

The workshops will be held on July 21 and July 22, 2007 between 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. The workshops will be held for angklung, Malaysian Percussion, Malay, Chinese and Indian traditional dances as well as the indigenous orang asli dance.

Source: www.brudirect.com (23 Juli 2007)

Poetry-Writing Competition To Encourage Development Of National Language

2011-09-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - The poetry-writing competition, which is part of the activities for the Knowledge Convention (Majlis Ilmu 2007) held in conjunction with His Majesty`s 61st birthday celebration, is still open for registration until July 28.

This year`s theme is "Aqidah Kukuh Membawa Berkat". The objective of the competition is to enliven the activities of the convention.

The competition is also to uphold and develop the progress of Malay language and literature through poetry and to encourage all residents and citizens to appreciate the Malay language. It is also to increase the use of Bahasa Melayu as the country`s official language.

The competition is open to citizens and permanent residents of Negara Brunei Darussalam. Each participant is only allowed to send one entry, which will correspond to one of two categories, A and B.

Category A is open to Form Four up to Form Six students, with each entry containing two poems. Category B is open to the public, with each entry containing three poems. All poems must be the original works of the writers.

The first-, second- and third-place winners in category A will receive B$700, B$600 and B$500, respectively) and three consolation prize winners will receive B$300 each. The first-, second- and third-place winners in category B will receive B$1000, B$800 and B$600, respectively, and three consolation prize winners will receive B$400 each. The closing date for the competition is on July 28 at 3.30pm. Further details can be obtained from the Language and Literature Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports at Old Airport in Berakas.

Source: www.brudirect.com (23 Juli 2007)

Seni Madihin dan Menteri Agama

2011-09-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - "Saya menyimak pantun yang disampaikan Syahroni. Kadang diselingi pujian, bacaan shalawat (Nabi Muhammad SAW). Iringan robana untuk pujian ini sangat menghibur," kata SDA, panggilan akrab Suryadharma Ali.

Menteri Agama Suryadharma Ali (SDA) menyampaikan pujian kepada Syahroni, pembawa Madihin, salah satu kesenian asli dari Banjarmasin, dengan cara penyampaian yang khas daerah setempat.

Ciri khas penyampaian Madihin adalah gaya bertuturnya. Menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia, kadang bersyair: memuji sang tamu kadang mengeritik dengan cara berpantun sambil diiringi musik robana, yang juga dimainkan orang yang sama.

Cara penyampaiannya pun -- seperti juga ciri khas etnis Melayu dengan pantunnya -- diutarakan dengan bertutur seperti bernyanyi namun tetap mengindahkan keindahan bahasa dan beretika.

Syahroni (35 tahun), bapak dari dua anak dengan isteri Hj. Mahmudah ini termasuk orang beruntung. Selain menjabat sebagai Kepala Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA) Kurau Plaihari juga memiliki bakat membawakan kesenian Madihin. Syahroni juga dipercaya sebagai penghulu di daerah bekerjanya dan memahami betul kultur dan nilai spiritual, agama Islam di kawasan Pasar Terapung, Banjarmasin.

Ia kerap tampil di berbagai pertemuan resmi, di festival ketika kedatangan tamu "besar" yang perlu dihibur dengan suasana berbeda. Tatkala Menteri Agama Suryadharma Ali berkunjung dan mengadakan silaturahim dengan jajaran Kanwil Kemenag Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan (Kalsel), pada 4 Juni silam, Syahroni mendapat kesempatan tampil di panggug membawakan kesenian Madihin.

Kesenian ini memang menghibur, ujar SDA ketika berbicara di atas podium memberi pujian kesenian itu. "Ada kritik, kadang bernada protes. Ada pujian," ujar SDA. Untungya, Lanjut Menag, Syahroni - pembawa Madihin - tak kenal semua orang yang hadir dalam acara itu. Jika dia tahu satu per satu namanya, maka tentu menjadi arahan pujian, kritikan sambil disebut namanya.

"Bisa sore kesenian ini berakhirnya," kata SDA yang disambut gelak tawa hadirin yang memenuhi ruang pertemuan Asrama Haji di Banjarmasin. "Untungnya dia (Syahroni) hanya kenal lima orang di atas panggung," tambah SDA sambil melepas tawa.

Menurut SDA, jika saja seorang penghulu memiliki kemampuan seperti Syahroni tentu akan cepat kaya. Penghulu yang bekerja di luar jam kantor tentu akan mendapat imbalan sesuai kemampuan keluarga pengantin.

Jika keluarga pengantin mengeluarkan dana pesta perkawinan ratusan juta rupiah , tentu Syahroni akan mendapat lumayan. Dan itu halal. Apa lagi jika diberi kesempatan membawakan khotbah nikah ditambah kesenian Madihin. "Amplopnya tentu tebal,"ujar SDA yang disambut tepuk tangan.

Di Banjarmasin, lanjutnya, kadang di festival, dibawakan oleh dua sampai tiga orang di atas pentas. Cara penyampaian pantut atau syair yang dibawakannya pun dilakukan secara spontanitas.

Kini Syahroni mengaku gembira bahwa pembawa kesenian Madihin mulai bermunculan. Ia menyebut antara lain, H, Jhon Tralala dan Hendra yang mampu membawakan Madihin dengan baik. "Banggalah menjadi orang Banjar memiliki kesenian Madihin. Ayo, mari bersama melestarikannya," katanya.

Sumber: http://oase.kompas.com

Cinta Suci Zahrana: Sisi lain Emansipasi Wanita

2011-09-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

Yogyakarta - Suasana perpustakaan UIN Sunan Kalijaga terlihat penuh, kemarin. Mahasiswa memadati ruang seminar untuk ikut mendengarkan diskusi dan bedah buku Cinta Suci Zahrana, dengan penulis buku Habiburrahman El-Shirazy. Habiburrahman El-Shirazy juga dikenal sebagai penulis novel fenomenal Ayat-Ayat Cinta. Selain itu, penulis juga merupakan salah satu penulis sastra melayu Islam yang karya-karyanya menggugah semua yang membacanya.

Dosen Jurusan Ilmu Perpustakaan Fakultas Adab dan Ilmu Budaya UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Dra Labibah Zain, MLIS mengatakan, bedah buku yang dilakukan itu untuk menambah pengetahuan mahasiswa mengenai sastra melayu Islam.

Penulis Habiburrahman El-Shirazy mengungkapkan sedikit isi novel terbarunya yang menceritakan seorang gadis bernama Zahrana. Tokoh Zahrana terlalu memprioritaskan urusan prestasi dan karier hingga lupa untuk menikah.

Sosok Zahrana dalam novel terbarunya ini merupakan wanita yang memiliki prestasi cemerlang. Bahkan sampai mendapatkan banyak piagam penghargaan dari dalam dan luar negeri. Namun saat mempersembahkan kepada orang tuanya, justru yang diinginkan oleh ayah dan ibunya adalah seorang cucu yang artinya adalah sebuah keluarga yang diwujudkan dari sebuah pernikahan.

“Namun Zahrana baru menyadari hal tersebut saat usianya sudah tak lagi muda dan sudah sulit baginya untuk mencari pendamping hidup yang cocok. Ide cerita dari novel ini terinspirasi dari kehidupan di era emansipasi wanita,” tuturnya.

Sumber: http://www.radarjogja.co.id

Mangenta, Tradisi Dayak yang Kian Tergerus

2011-09-05T02:51:00.000-07:00

Palangkaraya, Kalteng - Banyak tradisi khas Indonesia yang kian tergerus zaman. Salah satu tradisi di Kalimantan Tengah yang semakin jarang dilakukan yakni mangenta atau memasak makanan tradisional masyarakat Dayak.

Makanan tersebut yakni kenta itu, dulu kerap dibuat nenek moyang Dayak sebagai ungkapan rasa syukur usai memanen padi. Menurut Kepala Subbagian Umum/Perlengkapan dan Kepegawaian Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (Disbudpar) Kalteng, Darham S Tuwe di Palangkaraya, Kalteng, Senin (6/6/2011), proses mangenta dimulai dengan merendam beras ketan selama sekitar satu jam.

Setelah itu, beras disangrai dengan tungku di atas kayu bakar hingga matang. Selanjutnya, beras ditumbuk dengan kayu ulin. Sambil ditumbuk, pembuat kenta menggunakan penguir (alat pengangkat adonan agar beras tidak lengket atau menggumpal).

Beras kemudian dibersihkan dari kotoran-kotoran yang masih tertinggal. Kenta pun siap dihidangkan bersama air kelapa, gula pasir, gula merah, dan potongan kelapa muda.

Kenta biasa dimasak masyarakat desa atau kampung beramai-ramai. Biasanya, kegiatan itu dilakukan pada Maret atau April. Mangenta merupakan penerapan kearifan lokal masyarakat Dayak untuk mendahului masa berkembang biaknya tikus, burung, atau serangga pemakan padi.

Upaya tersebut berupaya menekan kerugian akibat hama. Mangenta masih ramai dilakukan pada tahun 1970-an. "Lalu pada era 1980-an mulai berkurang karena jumlah petani semakin sedikit. Sekarang, mangenta sudah jarang dilakukan," ujar Darham.

Kini, banyak orangtua yang tak bisa menjelaskan proses mangenta. Bahkan, tak sedikit dari mereka yang bisa memasak kenta sudah wafat. Karena itu, tak heran jika pengetahuan generasi muda mengenai mangenta terus tergerus zaman.

Sumber: http://regional.kompas.com

Jumpa Serumpun Melayu Dimulai

2011-08-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

Hajat serumpun yang diberi tajuk Seminar Internasional Serumpun Melayu V, Selasa (7/6) dibuka. Kadis Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Sulawesi Selatan Suaib Mallombassi atas nama Gubernur Sulsel membuka seminar itu di Gubernuran Makassar, disaksikan Rektor Unhas Prof.Dr.dr.Idrus A Paturusi, Wakil Rektor IV Unhas Prof.Dr.Dwia Aries Tina Pulubuhu, M.A., Dekan Fakultas Ilmu Budaya dan Sains Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Prof.Dr.Zulkifli Hamid, Dekan Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unhas Prof.Drs.Burhanuddin Arafah, M.Hum, Ph.D. dan sejumlah dosen kedua perguruan tinggi.

Seminar hingga 13 Juni 2011 itu diikuti sekitar 300 peserta, membahas sejumlah malakah yang dilaksanakan secara paralel di Kampus Unhas Tamalanrea.

Acara pembukaan sendiri dimeriahkan dengan atraksi dari komunitas Tionghoa di Makassar yang cukup mengesankan, selain acara ‘pepe-pepe’ dan sejumlah tradisional Sulawesi Selatan. Acara diakhiri dengan penyerahan cinderamata.

Sumber: http://www.unhas.ac.id

Arkeolog Asing Sesalkan Rusaknya Situs

2011-08-24T00:13:00.000-07:00

Medan, Sumut - Arkeolog berkebangsaan Inggris, Dr. E McKinnon, menyesalkan terjadinya perusakan terhadap Situs Benteng Putri Hijau yang berada di dusun 11 Desa Delitua Namorambe, Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara, oleh pihak pengembang.

"Arkeolog berkebangsaan Inggris yang sejak tahun 1972 telah melakukan penelitian di situs tersebut mengaku sangat prihatin terhadap tindakan perusakan tersebut," kata staf peneliti Pusat Studi Ilmu Sejarah dan Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial (Pussis) Universitas Negeri Medan (Unimed), Erond Damanik, di Medan, Senin (6/6/2011).

Bahkan, lanjutnya, atas keprihatinan tersebut, McKinnon yang biasa disapa dengan Pak Ed itu menyurati Direktur Peninggalan Purbakala Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Yunus Satrio Atmadja dan Kepala Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Arkeologi Nasional Tony Djubiantono.

"Surat keprihatinan atas perusakan situs tersebut disampaikan McKinnon melalui e-mail dan di cc-kan ke Pussis-Unimed," katanya.

Dalam suratnya itu, lanjut Erond, McKinnon juga mengirimkan beberapa foto yang diambil pada tanggal 1 Juni 2011 terkait perusakan situs Benteng Putri Hijau (BPH).

Arkeolog yang mengabdikan diri pada penyelidikan arkeologi di Sumatera sejak tahun 1970 itu menyebut bahwa kerusakan yang terjadi di BPH tersebut dilakukan oleh pengembang perumahan swasta.

"Menurut keterangan masyarakat setempat, kerusakan benteng ini telah terjadi sekitar sebulan yang lalu. 200-300 meter benteng tanah sebelah utara situs tersebut telah dibuang ke sawah dan sekitar 300 meter benteng sebelah barat telah dikorek hingga mengalami kerusakan berat," katanya.

Pada areal yang telah diratakan untuk bangunan perumahan itu, lanjutnya, tampak beberapa lokasi di mana ada tanah hitam yang mengandung pecahan keramik, termasuk yang dari masa Yuan (1279-1368).

"Kalau boleh kami anjurkan agar supaya ada ekskavasi darurat oleh Balai Arkeologi Medan di lokasi ini agar kita bisa menentukan masa okupasi dari bagian situs ini. Lokasi yang sangat penting ini perlu dilindungi segera," katanya.

Kepala Pussis-Unimed Ichwan Azhari juga sangat menyesalkan tindakan perusakan terhadap situs tersebut, bahkan ia juga mengkritik tokoh-tokoh Melayu di Sumut yang hingga saat ini masih bungkam. Padahal, yang dirusak tersebut adalah salah satu jati diri orang Melayu di Sumatera Utara.

Sumber: http://oase.kompas.com

Wisata Ziarah Tak Pernah Sepi

2011-08-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Makam-makam tokoh tertentu ternyata bisa mendatangkan wisatawan dan memberikan pemasukan untuk daerah. Seperti makam Wali Songo di Jawa Tengah yang tak pernah sepi dari peziarah. Menurut Kepala Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Jawa Tengah Prasetyo Aribowo, di Jawa Tengah terdapat tiga makam sunan dari Wali Songo.

"Di Kudus ada Makam Sunan Kudus dan Sunan Muria. Di Demak ada makam Sunan Kalijaga. Ini yang datang wisatawan asing dan wisatawan domestik," ungkapnya kepada Kompas.com via telepon, Sabtu (4/6/2011). Ia menuturkan, dalam semalam, makam-makam ini dikunjungi oleh lebih dari tiga bus.

"Kalau lagi high season, bisa 50 bus. Ini angka yang besar. Tapi, paketnya belum ada. Kami meminta dari ASITA untuk membuatkan paket. Kalau wisatawan asing yang datang, banyak dari Malaysia dan Brunei," ungkapnya. Ia menambahkan wisman yang datang, selain berfoto-foto, juga melakukan ziarah.

"Kalau wisatawan domestik, ziarah dan berdoa juga tapi lebih lama. Kalau wisman, hanya sebentar doa dan lihat-lihat. Kalau orang kita, bisa sampai menginap atau di sana sampai berjam-jam," lanjutnya.

Sementara itu, pada kesempatan lain Direktur Produk Pariwisata Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Achyaruddin menuturkan, konsep wisata ziarah adalah berkunjung ke suatu tempat yang memiliki nilai historis secara kacamata budaya dan agama.

"Berarti wisata ziarah ini ke peninggalan-peninggalan sejarah dan budaya seperti Candi Borobudur. Kalau dari sisi agama, makam Wali Songo termasuk. Hal ini berlaku untuk semua obyek yang diziarahi yang ada di Indonesia. Termasuk makam Belanda di Indonesia. Itu banyak yang diziarahi dan dibantu oleh Pemerintah Belanda untuk perawatan dan penataan. Beberapa makam Belanda itu ada yang di Aceh, Ancol, dan Tarakan," tutur Achyaruddin.

Peziarah yang datang biasanya memiliki kedekatan dari sisi historis atau leluhur. Ia menambahkan, ada beberapa orang yang merasa tidak perlu melakukan ziarah, tetapi ada pula pemahaman tertentu yang merasa perlunya melakukan ziarah. Itu karena, lanjutnya, ziarah dapat menjadi sarana untuk mengingat sejarah. Misalnya, katanya, ziarah ke makam Wali Songo bisa untuk mengingat luar biasanya peran Wali Songo dalam menyebarkan Islam di nusantara.

"Ziarah ini dibenarkan selama peziarah tidak meminta sesuatu ke makam. Itu bukan konsep yang dikembangkan untuk wisata. Kami terus mengembangkan paket-paket yang menyusun produk wisata ziarah. Juga ada kerja sama antarnegara untuk peninggalan-peninggalan budaya. Di ASEAN ada istilahnya TOC atau trial of civilization. Misalnya hubungan antara Angkor Wot di Kamboja dan Candi Borobudur," kata Achyaruddin.

Kedua obyek ini, lanjutnya, didesain agar informasi tentang Angkor Wot ada di Candi Borobudur dan sebaliknya, informasi mengenai Candi Borobudur ada di Angkor Wot. Ia mengatakan, kerja sama ini sudah ada sejak 2007 dan masih perlu terus dibangun.

"Nanti, Jawa Tengah mau membangun informasi fisik tentang Angkor Wat. Begitu juga sebaliknya. Itu karena di dinding Angkor Wat ada relief tentang Ramayana. Nah, kalau wisatawan mau lihat live-nya, silakan datang ke Candi Prambanan untuk menonton Sendratari Ramayana," jelasnya.

Sumber: http://travel.kompas.com

Komodo Diusulkan Menjadi Ikon Asean

2011-08-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Komite Nasional Pemuda Indonesia (KNPI) akan mengusulkan komodo sebagai salah satu ikon Asean Community 2015 karena menjadi satu-satunya sisa binatang purba di dunia.

"Komodo bukan hanya milik Indonesia dan Asean, tapi juga warisan dunia karena itu kami akan usulkan dalam forum kepemudaan di kawasan regional maupun internasional agar jadi ikon bersama," kata Ahmad Doli Kurnia, Ketua KNPI, tadi malam.

Dia berbicara ketika menerima 24 pemuda Asean peserta Asean + 3 Inventors Expo 2011 di lobi Trans TV untuk menghadiri Pameran Foto Komodo dan pemutaran film bersama pakar komodo, Putra Sastrawan.

Doli mengatakan di forum internasional sebelumnya yang digelar KNPI pada Febuari lalu yaitu International Youth Forum on Climate Change, pihaknya juga membawa peserta ke Pulau Komodo untuk menyuarakan pelestariannya sebagai binatang yang masih eksis sejak 60 juta tahun lalu dan hanya di Indonesia.

Doli, yang juga wakil ketua World Assembly of Youth (WAY), mengatakan pihaknya menyambut gembira kegiatan yang digagas kantor Menpora dan Universitas Budi Luhur untuk memberdayakan generasi muda Asean melalui hasil kreasi dan inovasi.

"Menarik sekali ada upaya dari masyarakat sipil Asean untuk membangun kerja sama yang positif dalam pengembangan sumber daya manusia Asean dalam hal peningkatan wawasan dan pemanfaatan tekhnologi tepat guna."

Menurut Doli, kesadaran pertemuan seperti ini penting untuk membangun komunitas Asean yang lebih kuat dan saling memiliki. Apalagi tugas itu bukan hanya di tangan pemerintah di negara-negara Asean.

Halida Hatta, corporate secretary Trans TV, mengatakan pameran foto komodo karya jurnalis kerjasama dengan Yayasan Komodo Indonesiaku adalah upaya menyuarakan pada dunia dengan keunikan flora dan fauna RI

"Keunikan fauna bukan hanya di Pulau Komodo tetapi juga di Garis Wallace yang melalui Kepulauan Melayu antara Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali Barat dan Lombok Timur. Program-program TransTV banyak mengenai mengeksplore kekayaan alam Indonesia," tandasnya.

Sementara itu, Linda Islami, dosen yang juga Public Relations Manager Universitas Budiluhur mengatakan Asean+3 Youth Inventors Expo 2011 diikuti perwakilan negara Asean plus China, Jepang dan Korea Selatan.

"Kegiatan berlangsung 5-9 Juni 2011 di tiga tempat yaitu kampus Universitas Budi Luhur, Museum Asia-Afrika Bandung dan Pusat Penelitian & Pengembangan Tekhnologi Serpong," katanya.

Dua peserta dari Thailand, Azima, tercatat sebagai mahasiswa tamu di Universitas Pakuan, Bogor dan Doan Hai Hoang dari Vietnam yang kuliah di President University Cikarang merasa gembira bisa bergabung dengan peserta dari negaranya masing-masing dalam forum pemuda ini.

"Membangun komunitas Asean memang harus memperkuat jaringan kerjasama di kalangan pemudanya sehingga jadi komunitas yang kuat.

Di Vietnam, ujarnya, ada sedikitnya 21 investor yang membangun usaha termasuk Grup Ciputra. Entrepreneurship akan menjadi jembatan memperkuat Asean pula.

Sumber: http://www.bisnis.com

Batik Indonesia Dipamerkan di Athena

2011-08-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

London, Inggris - Pameran Batik bertema "Sebuah Perjalanan Menuju Jantung Seni dan Budaya" digelar Wali Kota Maroussi dan Kepala Pusat Kebudayaan Maroussi mengundang perhatian warga Yunani yang mengawali kegiatan musim panas setiap tahun di Kota Athena .

Wali Kota Moroussi Giorgios Patoulis dalam sambutan pembukaan pameran yang dihadiri Duta Besar RI untuk Republik Yunani, Ahmad Rusdi, merasa bangga atas pameran barang kerajinan dan seni Indonesia maupun Yunani yang dilakukan di wilayahnya, ujar Sekretaris Kedua KBRI Athena Widya Sinedu kepada Antara London, Selasa.

Wali Kota Giorgios juga menyampaikan apresiasinya dan penghargaan kepada KBRI Athena yang mendukung suksesnya pameran ini, sehingga acara ini dari tahun ke tahun baik dari segi kreatifitas tampilan barang maupun pesertanya terus meningkat.

Pameran yang diadakan dari tanggal 6 Juni hingga 9 Juni mendatang dikunjungi murid, orang tua, pejabat dan warga setempat dengan memamerkan puluhan hasil karya kombinasi tehnik membatik dan seni terapan kontemporer khas Yunani.

Pameran Batik dalam karya seni terapan merupakan salah satu kegiatan yang diselenggarakan secara rutin dengan menampilkan bahan-bahan daur ulang yang disulap menjadi karya seni yang indah.

Duta Besar Ahmad Rusdi, yang merupakan diplomat karier dan putra pengrajin batik asal daerah pesisir Pekalongan merasa kagum dan bangga atas keahlian Ms. Eleni Grafakou, mantan peserta Program Dharmasiswa tahun 2006-2007, yang berhasil mempelajari tehnik membatik di Indonesia selama setahun.

Ms. Eleni Grafakou mendirikan Sekolah Seni bersama orang tuanya yang diikuti ratusan murid dari berbagai usia di Pusat Kursus Seni Terapan di wilayah Maroussi, Athena.

Di hadapan 300 undangan Dubes Ahmad Rusdi secara spontan menyampaikan penghargaan dan sekaligus mengundang Eleni Grafakou, untuk mengunjungi Indonesia kembali dan sekaligus diharapkan dapat menghadiri Kongres Internasional Batik yang diadakan di Jakarta pada akhir tahun .

Pada kesempatan tersebut Dubes menawarkan program Dharmasiswa bagi para undangan yang hadir untuk dapat memanfaatkan kesempatan belajar seni, tari dan bahasa di Indonesia.

Ia juga mempromosikan kekayaan dan keindahan obyek wisata Indonesia yang sangat menarik dan menakjubkan serta mengajak warga Yunani untuk berkunjung dan melihat Indonesia secara langsung.

Pada kesempatan pameran ini, batik hasil karya Ms. Eleni Grafakou beserta murid-muridnya berupa hiasan dinding, taplak meja, pakaian jadi seperti blouse dan kaos, syal, serta selendang dengan berbagai warna warni yang umumnya bermotif orang, gambar binatang dan ikan serta bernuansa motif kontemporer ditampilkan dengan menarik menarik perhatian pengunjung.

Tampilnya batik di pameran ini juga mendominasi sudut-sudut aula Pusat Kebudayaan Maroussi yang telah disulap menjadi ruang pameran kesenian yang dipadukan dengan hasil karya seni murid lainnya berupa perhiasan, pernak-pernik serta dekorasi untuk rumah tangga dan perkantoran.

Pameran batik yang diprakarsai Ms. Eleni Grafakou dengan mendapat fasilitas dari Walikota Marousi dan didukung KBRI Athena merupakan wujud dan jalinan hubungan yang lebih nyata.

Kegiatan kerja sama seperti ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan persahabatan antara Indonesia-Yunani dalam bidang Kesenian dan Kebudayaan, sehingga melalui pameran tersebut warga setempat dapat mengenal Indonesia secara lebih dekat.

Beberapa undangan yang hadir pada acara pembukaan tersebut menyatakan pernah berkunjung ke Indonesia dan secara langsung menyampaikan kekaguman atas keragaman seni dan budaya Indonesia, adat istiadat hingga keramahan penduduknya.

Upaya Perwakilan RI di luar negeri dalam meningkatkan citra positif Indonesia sebagai bangsa yang kaya akan seni dan budaya di Yunani terus dilakukan, tidak hanya dengan mempromosikan batik sebagai warisan dunia non-benda yang telah diakui oleh UNESCO, tetapi juga mengenalkan cara mempraktekan ataupun tehnik membatik dengan mendatangkan pengrajin dari Pekalongan.

Pada April lalu, KBRI Athena menyelenggarakan Batik Workshop di Athens School of Fine Arts, diikuti siswa dari Universitas dan kepada Women International Club di Athena, Yunani yang diikuti isteri Duta Besar dan pejabat serta seniman setempat dengan mendapat dukungan Direktur Jenderal Pemasaran Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata RI.

Sumber: http://id.custom.yahoo.com

Ayo, Tonton Festival "Urban Art" di GKJ!

2011-08-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Dalam rangka HUT ke-484 DKI, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) secara rutin menggelar acara bertajuk Jakarta Anniversary Festival. Di tahun IX penyelenggaraannya, Jakarta Anniversary Festival mengambil tema "Urban Art". Acara ini berlangsung dari tanggal 3 Juni hingga 2 Juli 2011. Sebagian besar karya yang meramaikan perhelatan Jakarta Anniversary Festival ini berupa tarian.

"Tema Urban Art ini akan menyuguhkan beragam kesenian, mulai dari kesenian tradisi, klasik, alternatif, hingga kontemporer," kata Direktur Gedung Kesenian Jakarta Bambang Subekti di Jakarta, Minggu (5/6/2011).

Sembilan kelompok seniman dan seniwati berjiwa muda akan tampil bergantian sesuai jadwal pertunjukan. Saat pembukaan, 3 Juni 2011, Namarina Youth Dance menawarkan 7 Veils and Dreams yang terinspirasi dari kisah Joko Tarub. Pada hari Minggu (5/6/2011) kemarin, sejumlah mahasiswa Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Indonesia yang tergabung dalam kelompok tari Shivanataraja berkolaborasi dengan kelompok musik Kunokini. Sekumpulan anak muda ini menampilkan sederetan tarian tradisional dibalut dengan musik etnik mistik khas Kunokini.

"Jakarta Anniversary Festival ini merupakan program andalan dari GKJ. Sekaligus ikut meramaikan HUT DKI. Semoga pergelaran ini dapat memberi nuansa dan ekspresi seni yang lebih segar," tutur Bambang.

Selain dua kelompok yang sudah tampil, masih ada tujuh kelompok yang akan meramaikan. Anda tertarik? Berikut ini jadwal pertunjukan Jakarta Anniversary Festival.

12 Juni: Ikatan Pengajar dan Pelatih Ballet "LIV’IN"
15 Juni: Sak Sak Dance Production "Lampan Lahat dan Perempuan Rusuk Dua
18 Juni: Konser Jazz Shadow Puppets Quartet "Strings Attached Concert Series"
19 Juni: Tari dan World Music Concert Swargaloka Art & Culture Foundation "Jejak Asa Sang Dewi"
22 Juni: Bellydance Jakarta "Bahebbik Jakarta-I Love You Jakarta"
24-25 Juni: Teater Mandiri "T R I K"
1-2 Juli: Drama Tari "Gandrung Eng Tay" Dedy Lutan Dance Company

Semua pertunjukan ini dimulai pada pukul 20.00 WIB.

Sumber: http://megapolitan.kompas.com

Meniru Etos Kerja Keras Orang Korea

2011-08-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Masyarakat Korea dikenal suka bekerja keras dan semangat dalam membangun bangsanya. Etos inilah yang bisa kita tiru dan terapkan dalam keseharian.

Hal tersebut juga dipelajari para guru SMA/SMK se-Indonesia dalam lokakarya yang dihelat oleh Pusat Studi Korea (Puskor) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta.

Kepala Puskor, Dr. Novi Kussuji Indrastuti, M.Hum., mengatakan, dalam lokakarya yang digelar hingga 10 Juni mendatang, ke-26 guru dari berbagai daerah mulai dari Riau hingga Sumatera Tenggara ini diajak mengenal budaya Korea, untuk kemudian disampaikan kembali ke anak didik mereka. “Kami mensosisalisasikan kebudayaan Korea sebagai materi dalam lokakarya ini,” katanya seperti dikutip dari situs UGM, Kamis (9/6/2011).

Penasihat Puskor, Prof. Dr. Siti Chamamah Soeratno, menyatakan, semangat orang Korea yang selalu bekerja keras sangat diperhatikan. “Termasuk seni berpikir, seni bersekolah, dan seni mengajar,” imbuhnya.

Kegiatan ini diadakan guna mempererat hubungan kerja bilateral antara Indonesia dan Korea. Pihak Korea Foundation yang diwakili Moon Jae Seung memberikan tanggapan positif terhadap acara rutin ini. “Korea Foundation sangat mendukung kegiatan bagi para guru ini,” katanya.

Lokakarya juga dimeriahkan dengan pentas seni Korea, dibuka dengan penampilan kesenian tradisional Korea, Samulnori dari mahasiswa program studi Korea. Selain itu terdapat beberapa tarian tradisional Korea, yaitu tari Hansam (tari sapu tangan) dan Buche Chum (tari kipas).

Para guru yang menjadi peserta mengaku sangat antusias mengikuti acara ini. Guru Bimbingan Konseling SMAN 6, Semarang, Siti Saptariningsih dan guru SMAN 1 Balikpapan, misalnya. Mereka berharap dapat mempelajari banyak hal tentang Korea. (Margaret Puspitarini)

Sumber: http://kampus.okezone.com

Asal Usul Burung Moopoo

2011-08-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Minahasa yang dahulu dikenal dengan Malesung adalah salah satu nama kabupaten di Provinsi Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia. Di kabupaten ini hidup beragam jenis binatang langka dan khas Minahasa. Salah satu binatang khas Minahasa adalah burung moopoo. Konon, burung moopoo ini merupakan jelmaan seorang anak laki-laki. Mengapa anak laki-laki itu menjelma menjadi burung moopoo? Kisahnya dapat Anda ikuti dalam cerita rakyat Asal Usul Burung Moopoo berikut ini.

* * *

Alkisah, di sebuah daerah di Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara, hiduplah seorang kakek bersama dengan cucu laki-lakinya yang bernama Nondo. Mereka tinggal di sebuah rumah kecil di tepi hutan lebat. Untuk memenuhi kebutuhan mereka sehari-hari, sang Kakek pergi ke hutan mencari hasil hutan dan menjualnya ke pasar. Sementara Nondo hanya bisa membantu kakeknya memasak dan membersihkan rumah, karena kakinya pincang. Kedua orang tua Nondo meninggal dunia ketika ia masih kecil. Sejak itu, Nondo diasuh oleh kakeknya hingga dewasa.

Setiap hari Nondo selalu bersedih hati. Ia ingin sekali membantu kakeknya mencari kayu bakar di hutan, namun apa daya kakinya tidak mampu berjalan jauh. Ia juga ingin sekali menyaksikan sendiri binatang-binatang yang hidup di hutan sebagaimana yang sering diceritakan oleh kakeknya setiap selesai makan malam.

Setiap kakeknya bercerita, Nondo selalu mendengarkannya dengan penuh perhatian. Ia hanya bisa membayangkan seperti apakah binatang-binatang yang diceritakan kakeknya itu. Ia juga sering bermimpi bertemu dengan binatang-binatang itu. Bahkan, ia kerap menirukan bunyi burung-burung yang diceritakan kakeknya.

Pada suatu hari, seperti biasanya, sang Kakek hendak pergi ke hutan untuk mencari kayu bakar.

”Kek! Bolehkah Nondo ikut ke hutan bersama Kakek?” pinta Nondo kepada kakeknya.

”Kamu di rumah saja, Cucuku” jawab sang Kakek.

”Tapi, Kek! Nondo ingin sekali melihat binatang-binatang yang sering Kakek ceritakan itu.”

”Jangan, Cucuku! Bukankah kakimu sedang sakit? Kakek khawatir dengan kesehatanmu.”

”Kek! Nondo mohon, izinkanlah Nondo pergi ke hutan bersama Kakek sekali ini saja,” bujuk Nondo sambil merengek-rengek.

Oleh karena kasihan melihat Nondo, akhirnya kakeknya pun mengizinkannya.

”Baiklah! Kamu boleh ikut bersama Kakek, tapi selesaikan dulu pekerjaan rumahmu,” ujar sang Kakek.

Dengan perasaan senang dan penuh semangat, Nondo segera membersihkan rumah dan memasak untuk makan siang sepulang dari hutan. Beberapa saat kemudian, Nondo telah menyelesaikan pekerjaan rumahnya.

”Kek! Ayo kita berangkat! Pekerjaan Nondo sudah selesai,” seru Nondo.

”Ya!” jawab sang Kakek singkat dengan perasaan khawatir.

Setelah itu, berangkatlah mereka ke hutan. Sang Kakek berjalan di depan, sedangkan Nondo mengikutinya dari belakang. Ketika memasuki hutan, Nondo seringkali tertinggal oleh kakeknya, karena selain kakinya pincang, ia juga sering berhenti setiap melihat binatang. Bahkan, ia kerap bermain-main dan menirukan suara binatang yang ditemuinya. Oleh karena keasyikan bermain-main dengan binatang itu, sehingga ia semakin jauh tertinggal oleh kakeknya.

Awalnya Nondo tidak menyadari keadaan itu. Ketika hari menjelang sore, ia baru tersadar jika ia tinggal sendirian di tengah hutan. Hari pun semakin gelap, suasana hutan semakin menyeramkan dengan suara-suara binatang yang menakutkan.

”Kakek...! Kakek....! Kakek di mana...?” teriak Nondo memanggil kakeknya sambil menangis.

Beberapa kali Nondo berteriak, namun tidak ada jawaban sama sekali. Ia mencoba mencari jalan pulang ke rumah, namun semakin jauh ia berjalan semakin jauh masuk ke tengah hutan. Ia pun bertambah bingung dan tersesat di tengah hutan.

Malam semakin larut, Nondo belum juga menemukan kakeknya. Ia pun semakin takut oleh suara-suara burung yang bersahut-sahutan, seperti burung uwak, kedi-kedi, kakaktua, toin tuenden dan burung hantu. Apalagi ketika ia mendengar suara burung kuow yang keras dan menyeramkan. Ia pun menangis dan berteriak sekeras-kerasnya agar suaranya didengar oleh kakeknya. Namun, usahanya sia-sia, karena tidak mendapat jawaban sama sekali.

Sementara itu sang Kakek menjadi panik ketika menyadari cucunya sudah tidak ada lagi di belakangnya. Ia sangat mengkhawatirkan keadaan cucu kesayangannya itu.

”Nondo...! Nondo...! Kamu di mana?” teriak sang Kakek.

Beberapa kali pula kakek itu berteriak, namun tidak ada jawaban sama sekali. Akhirnya, ia pun memutuskan untuk pulang, karena mengira cucunya sudah kembali ke rumah. Namun sesampai di rumah, ia tidak menemukan cucunya. Pada pagi harinya, sang Kakek kembali ke hutan untuk mencari cucunya. Hingga sore hari, ia berkeliling di tengah hutan itu sambil berteriak-teriak memanggil cucunya, namun tidak juga menemukannya. Oleh karena merasa putus asa, akhirnya ia pun kembali ke rumahnya. Dalam perjalanan pulang, ia mendengar suara yang aneh.

`moo-poo..., moo-poo..., moo-poo….!” terdengar suara burung aneh itu.

”Suara binatang apakah itu? Sepertinya baru kali ini aku mendengarnya,” gumam Kakek Nondo.

Oleh karena penasaran, kakek itu segera mencari sumber suara aneh itu. Setelah berjalan beberapa langkah, ia pun menemukannya. Ternyata suara itu adalah suara seekor burung yang sedang hinggap di atas pohon. Kakek itu terus berjalan mendekati pohon untuk melihat burung itu lebih dekat.

”Burung apakah itu? Sudah puluhan tahun aku mencari kayu di hutan ini, tapi aku belum pernah melihat jenis burung seperti itu,” gumamnya.

Sementara burung itu terbang dari satu cabang ke cabang yang lain sambil memerhatikan sang Kakek dan mengeluarkan suara, ”moo-poo”.

Semula kakek Nondo tidak mengerti maksud suara itu. Namun setelah lama memerhatikan suara itu, ia pun mulai menyadari jika burung itu memanggilnya opoku (kakekku). Untuk lebih meyakinkan dirinya, ia kembali mengamati burung itu. Setelah ia amati, rupanya kaki burung itu pincang. Tiba-tiba kakek itu menangis karena teringat cucunya. Ia yakin bahwa burung itu adalah jelmaan cucunya, Nondo. Sesuai dengan suara yang dikeluarkan, maka burung itu diberi nama moopoo. Hingga saat ini, burung moopoo dapat ditemukan di daerah Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara.

* * *

Demikian cerita Asal Usul Burung Moopoo dari daerah Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara. Cerita di atas tergolong cerita mitos yang mengandung pesan-pesan moral yang dapat dijadikan sebagai pedoman dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Setidaknya ada dua pesan moral yang dapat dipetik dari cerita di atas, yaitu keburukan sifat tidak tahu diri dan suka berperilaku sembrono atau gegabah.

Sifat tidak tahu diri yang dimaksud adalah menyadari kemampuan diri sendiri. Artinya, jika hendak mewujudkan suatu keinginan, sebaiknya terlebih dahulu mengukur kemampuan diri sendiri. Sifat ini tercermin pada sikap Nondo yang memaksakan keinginannya untuk ikut bersama kakeknya ke hutan, padahal kakinya pincang. Sementara sifat suka berperilaku sembrono atau gegabah tercermin pada perilaku sang Kakek yang tidak perhatian terhadap keadaan cucunya yang pincang, sehingga meninggalkannya seorang diri di tengah hutan.

Sumber:

Sumaraw, Anneke. Cerita Rakyat dari Sulawesi Utara. Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Widiasarana Indonesia.1998.

Sumber Tulisan:

http://folktalesnusantara.blogspot.com/2009/02/asal-usul-burung-moopoo.html

Semangka Emas

2011-08-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

(Cerita Rakyat Melayu Sambas)

P ada zaman dahulu kala, di Sambas hiduplah seorang saudagar yang kaya raya. Saudagar tersebut mempunyai dua orang anak laki-laki. Anaknya yang sulung bernama Muzakir, dan yang bungsu bernama Dermawan. Muzakir sangat loba dan kikir. Setiap hari kerjanya hanya mengumpulkan uang saja. Ia tidak perduli kepada orang-orang miskin. Sebaliknya Dermawan sangat berbeda tingkah lakunya. Ia tidak rakus dengan uang dan selalu bersedekah kepada fakir miskin.

Sebelum meninggal, saudagar tersebut membagi hartanya sama rata kepada kedua anaknya. Maksudnya agar anak-anaknya tidak berbantah dan saling iri, terutama bila ia telah meninggal kelak.

Muzakir langsung membeli peti besi. Uang bagiannya dimasukkan ke dalam peti tersebut, lalu dikuncinya. Bila ada orang miskin datang, bukannnya ia memberi sedekah, melainkan ia tertawa terbahak-bahak melihat orang miskin yang pincang, buta dan lumpuh itu. Bila orang miskin itu tidak mau pergi dari rumahnya, Muzakir memanggil orang gajiannya untuk mengusirnya. Orang-orang miskin kemudian berduyun-duyun datang ke rumah Dermawan.

Dermawan selalu menyambut orang-orang miskin dengan senang hati. Mereka dijamunya makan dan diberi uang karena ia merasa iba melihat orang miskin dan melarat. Lama kelamaan uang Dermawan habis dan ia tidak sanggup lagi membiayai rumahnya yang besar. Ia pun pindah ke rumah yang lebih kecil dan harus bekerja. Gajinya tidak seberapa, sekedar cukup makan saja. Tetapi ia sudah merasa senang dengan hidupnya yang demikian. Muzakir tertawa terbahak-bahak mendengar berita Dermawan yang dianggapnya bodoh itu. Muzakir telah membeli rumah yang lebih bagus dan kebun kelapa yang luas. Tetapi Dermawan tidak menghiraukan tingkah laku abangnya.

Suatu hari Dermawan duduk-duduk melepaskan lelah di pekarangan rumahnya. Tiba-tiba jatuhlah seekor burung pipit di hadapannya. Burung itu mencicit-cicit kesakitan "Kasihan," kata Dermawan. "Sayapmu patah, ya?" lanjut Dermawan seolah-olah ia berbicara dengan burung pipit itu. Ditangkapnya burung tersebut, lalau diperiksanya sayapnya. Benar saja, sayap burung itu patah. "Biar kucoba mengobatimu," katanya. Setelah diobatinya lalu sayap burung itu dibalutnya perlahan-lahan. Kemudian diambilnya beras. Burung pipit itu diberinya makan.

Burung itu menjadi jinak dan tidak takut kepadanya. Beberapa hari kemudian, burung itu telah dapat mengibas-ngibaskan sayapnya, dan sesaat kemudian ia pun terbang. Keesokan harinya ia kembali mengunjungi Dermawan. Di paruhnya ada sebutir biji, dan biji itu diletakkannya di depan Dermawan. Dermawan tertawa melihatnya. Biji itu biji biasa saja. Meskipun demikian, senang juga hatinya menerima pemberian burung itu. Biji itu ditanam di belakang rumahnya.

Tiga hari kemudian tumbuhlah biji itu. Yang tumbuh adalah pohon semangka. Tumbuhan itu dipeliharanya baik-baik sehingga tumbuh dengan subur. Pada mulanya Dermawan menyangka akan banyak buahnya. Tentulah ia akan kenyang makan buah semangka dan selebihnya akan ia sedekahkan. Tetapi aneh, meskipun bunganya banyak, yang menjadi buah hanya satu. Ukuran semangka ini luar biasa besarnya, jauh lebih dari semangka umumnya. Sedap kelihatannya dan harum pula baunya. Setelah masak, Dermawan memetik buah semangka itu. Amboi, bukan main beratnya. Ia terengah-engah mengangkatnya dengan kedua belah tangannya. Setelah diletakkannya di atas meja, lalu diambilnya pisau. Ia membelah semangka itu. Setelah semangka terbelah, betapa kagetnya Dermawan. Isi semangka itu berupa pasir kuning yang bertumpuk di atas meja. Ketika diperhatikannya sungguh-sungguh, nyatalah bahwa pasir itu adalah emas urai murni. Dermawan pun menari-nari karena girangnya. Ia mendengar burung mencicit di luar, terlihat burung pipit yang pernah ditolongnya hinggap di sebuah tonggak. "Terima kasih! Terima kasih!" seru Dermawan. Burung itu pun kemudian terbang tanpa kembali lagi.

Keesokan harinya Dermawan memberli rumah yang bagus dengan pekarangan yang luas sekali. Semua orang miskin yang datang ke rumahnya diberinya makan. Tetapi Dermawan tidak akan jatuh miskin seperti dahulu, karena uangnya amat banyak dan hasil kebunnya melimpah ruah. Rupanya hal ini membuat Muzakir iri hati. Muzakir yang ingin mengetahui rahasia adiknya lalu pergi ke rumah Dermawan. Di sana Dermawan menceritakan secara jujur kepadanya tentang kisahnya.

Mengetahui hal tersebut, MUzakir langsung memerintahkan orang-orang gajiannya mencari burung yang patah kaki atau patah sayapnya di mana-mana. Namun sampai satu minggu lamanya, seekor burung yang demikian pun tak ditemukan. MUzakir sungguh marah dan tidak dapat tidur. Keesokan paginya, Muzakir mendapat akal. Diperintahkannya seorang gajiannya untuk menangkap burung dengan apitan. Tentu saja sayap burung itu menjadi patah. Muzakir kemudian berpura-pura kasihan melihatnya dan membalut luka pada sayap burung. Setelah beberapa hari, burung itu pun sembuh dan dilepaskan terbang. Burung itu pun kembali kepada Muzakir untuk memberikan sebutir biji. Muzakir sungguh gembira.

Biji pemberian burung ditanam Muzakir di tempat yang terbaik di kebunnya. Tumbuh pula pohon semangka yang subur dan berdaun rimbun. Buahnya pun hanya satu, ukurannya lebih besar dari semangka Dermawan. Ketika dipanen, dua orang gajian Muzakir dengan susah payah membawanya ke dalam rumah karena beratnya. Muzakir mengambil parang. Ia sendiri yang akan membelah semangka itu. Baru saja semangka itu terpotong, menyemburlah dari dalam buah itu lumpur hitam bercampur kotoran ke muka Muzakir. Baunya busuk seperti bangkai. Pakaian Muzakir serta permadani di ruangan itu tidak luput dari siraman lumpur dan kotoran yang seperti bubur itu. Muzakir berlari ke jalan raya sambil menjerit-jerit. Orang yang melihatnya dan mencium bau yang busuk itu tertawa terbahak-bahak sambil bertepuk tangan dengan riuhnya.

diceritakan kembali oleh Hendy Lie

(diolah dari Cerita Rakyat dari Kalimantan Barat 2, Syahzaman, PT.Grasindo, 1995)

Sumber: http://folktalesnusantara.blogspot.com/2009/02/semangka-emas.html

Gunungan

2011-08-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

Gunungan adalah wayang berbentuk gambar gunung beserta isinya. Di bawahnya terdapat gambar pintu gerbang yang dijaga oleh dua raksasa yang memegang pedang dan perisai. Itu melambangkan pintu gerbang istana , dan pada waktu dimainkan gunungan dipergunakan sebagai istana. Di sebelah atas gunung terdapat pohon kayu yang dibelit oleh seekor ular naga.

Dalam gunungan tersebut terdapat juga gambar berbagai binatang hutan. Gambar secara keseluruhan menggambarkan keadaan di dalam hutan belantara. Gunungan melambangkan keadaan dunia beserta isinya. Sebelum wayang dimainkan, Gunungan ditancapkan di tengah-tengah layar, condong sedikit ke kanan yang berarti bahwa lakon wayang belum dimulai, bagaikan dunia yang belum beriwayat. Setelah dimainkan, Gunungan dicabut, dijajarkan di sebelah kanan.

Gunungan dipakai juga sebagai tanda akan bergantinya lakon/tahapan cerita. Untuk itu gunungan ditancapkan di tengah-tengah condong ke kiri. Selain itu Gunungan digunakan juga untuk melambangkan api atau angin. Dalam hal ini Gunungan dibalik, di sebaliknya hanya terdapat cat merah-merah, dan warna inilah yang melambangkan api.

Gunungan juga dipergunakan untuk melambangkan hutan rimba, dan dimainkan pada waktu adegan rampogan, tentara yang siap siaga dengan bermacam senjata. Dalam hal ini Gunungan bisa berperan sebagai tanah, hutan rimba, jalanan dan sebagainya, yakni mengikuti dialog dari dalang. Setelah lakon selesai, Gunungan ditancapkan lagi di tengah-tengah layar, melambangkan bahwa cerita sudah tamat.

Gunungan ada dua macam, yaitu Gunungan Gapuran dan Gunungan Blumbangan. Gunungan Blumbangan digubah oleh Sunan Kalijaga dalam zaman Kerajaan Demak. Kemudian pada zaman Kartasura digubah lagi dengan adanya Gunungan Gapuran. Gunungan dalam istilah pewayangan disebut Kayon. Kayon berasal dari kata Kayun. Gunungan mengandung ajaran filsafat yang tinggi, yaitu ajaran mengenai kebijaksanaan. Semua itu mengandung makna bahwa lakon dalam wayang berisikan pelajaran yang tinggi nilainya. Hal ini berarti bahwa pertunjukan wayang juga berisi pertunjukan wayang juga berisi ajaran filsafat yang tinggi.

Sumber: http://id.wikipedia.org

Pemko Pekanbaru Usulkan 906 Formasi CPNS

2011-08-13T19:48:00.001-07:00

Kepala Badan Kepegawaian Daerah Kota Pekanbaru, Drs H Hermanius MM mengatakan pihaknya mengusulkan 906 formasi CPNS di tahun 2011 ini. Usulan tersebut jauh lebih banyak dari tahun lalu. Hal ini dilakukan mengingat banyaknya kekurangan pegawai dari beberapa satuan kerja (Satker) di lingkungan Pemerintah Kota Pekanbaru.

Hermanius memaparkan, dari 906 formasi tersebut, di antaranya untuk tenaga guru sebanyak 548 orang, tenaga kesehatan sebanyak 129 orang dan untuk tenaga teknis sebanyak 229 orang. Jumlah ini lanjutnya, selain untuk mengisi kekosongan posisi para pegawai yang sudah pensiun pada 2011 juga untuk menambah kekurangan jumlah pegawai di beberapa Satker yang ada di lingkungan Pemko Pekanbaru.

"Tahun ini jumlah pegawai yang pensiun sebanyak 203 orang. Sedangkan di tahun 2010 lalu, jumlah pegawai yang pensiun tercatat sebanyak 181 orang," katanya.

Data formasi CPNS 2011 ini tegas Hermanius akan langsung dikirimkan kepada Menteri Pendayagunaan Aparatur Negara (Menpan) dan Badan Kepegawaian Nasional. Terkait apakah nantinya semua formasi yang diusulkan itu akan diterima oleh pusat atau tidak, menurut Hermanius hal tersebut belum bisa diketahui. Karena datanya baru akan bisa diketahui setelah adanya pemberitahuan dari Pusat nantinya.

Di sisi lain, Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Kota Pekanbaru, khusus untuk tenaga kesehatan, idealnya masih kekurangan 170 orang. Di antaranya untuk tenaga dokter umum, dan dokter spesialis saat ini masih kekurangan sekitar 20 orang. Karena saat ini katanya, setiap Puskesmas Inap baru memiliki tiga orang dokter umum. Seharusnya setiap Puskesmas rawat inap itu perlu enam orang dokter.

"Secara tidak langsung ini akan mengganggu kinerja, karena untuk rumah sakit rawat inap itu, yang seharusnya ditangani oleh enam orang dokter terpaksa dilaksanakan oleh tiga orang dokter. Sementara mereka bekerja 24 jam, disinilah letak ketergangguannya," terang Dahril Darwis.(lim/fuz/jpnn)

Sumber: http://www.jpnn.com

Royal Guard Of Honour To Mark His Majesty`s 61st Birthday

2011-08-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Thousands gathered at the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar `Ali Saifuddien early yesterday morning to witness the Ceremonial Royal Guard of Honour Parade to honour His Majesty`s 61st birthday.

His Majesty`s arrival at the Taman was marked with the beating of the `Hadrah`. Upon arrival, His Majesty was greeted by YAM Pg Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pg Anak Hj Abdul Aziz followed by the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General Dato Paduka Seri Hj Awg Halbi Hj Md Yussof and the Commissioner of Police at the Royal Brunei Police Force Pehin Datu Kerma Setia Dato Paduka Seri Awg Zainuddin bin Jalani.

Accompanying His Majesty were HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah the Crown Prince, HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah and HRH Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah.

When the Monarch stood at the Royal Dais, the National Anthem was played and 21 shots of the cannon were fired to mark the start of the grand celebration of His Majesty`s 61st birthday.

His Majesty then inspected the parade, which involved uniformed personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the Royal Brunei Police Force.

Several slow and fast marches by the RBAF and RBPF passed the Royal Dais, accompanied with music played by the armed forces and police bands.

The guard of honour reached its climax when three cheers of the "Daulat" were made by the participants and the crowd. A showcase of Royal Brunei Air Force helicopters and aircraft with 10 helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft, sliced through the sky, as His Majesty`s loyal subjects looked on while the National Anthem was played signifying the end of the parade.

The morning parade then followed by the audience and an investiture ceremony where His Majesty accorded honours on outstanding people with meritorious titles and awards at the Istana Nurul Iman. Before that, His Majesty addressed the nation in a much-awaited Royal Titah from the palace`s Throne Room.

Later at night, a state banquet was held followed by a display of fireworks.

Source: www.brunei-online.com (19 Juli 2007)

Malaysia : Malay Archipelago Handicraft Fair Just Days Away

2011-08-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

Talk about the fifth Malay Archipelago Handicraft is in air! The event would commence on July 26, at Handicraft Complex in Jalan Conlay and would assemble handicraft creations from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

The event will welcome around 160 industrialists, giving a scope to share the information on handicraft, art as well as culture.

Further, the exhibition campaigns would bear a theme of `Handicraft - A Malay Achipelago Heritage`, a place for crafts source and drive.

Sources said that several massive promotional activities will also be carried out for this exposition.

Source: www.fibre2fashion.com (19 Juli 2007)

A Short History Of Brunei`s Newspapers

2011-08-09T23:24:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - AS THE Brunei Times celebrates its anniversary of being the new kid in the Brunei‘s newspaper industry, it is worthwhile to look at how the newspaper industry have fared since newspapers began to be circulated in Brunei.

Brunei‘s media industry is relatively new compared to many other countries. Despite Brunei being an ancient country, it is considered a new nation by some which it is. After the turbulence at the end of the 19th century where Brunei had lost practically most of its territories, Brunei emerged as a new nation, having the first British Resident in 1906 to set up the new modern administration, discovering oil as its new lifeline in 1929, writing its own constitution and self- internal administration in 1959 and finally achieving its independence in 1984.

Likewise the newspaper industry only began after the 1950s. Before 1950, there was no other publication in Brunei other than the Annual Reports which are published by the British Colonial Office. The first other regular government publication was the Government Gazette which was first published in 1951. However the gazette was not strictly a newspaper, but an official publication for the government.

The first newspaper to appear was Salam Seria published in 1952 by the British Malayan Petroleum Company, the forerunner to today‘s Brunei Shell Petroleum Company. Being an official company publication, it delivered news and information to its staff as well as the general public regarding its oil exploration and other company news. Even though it was produced bilingually in English and Malay, the Malay version had added content of world news and educational materials. Salam Seria became Salam the year after and had remained until now. Salam remains a free publication.

The second newspaper is today‘s Borneo Bulletin which first appeared on November 7, 1953. This English weekly publication was printed in Kuala Belait by the Brunei Press Company which was formed in October 1953. Borneo Bulletin was sold for 20 cents when it was first produced. At first most of its news concentrated on news in Borneo with special emphasis on Brunei. Its first publication run of about 3,500 was the largest in Borneo then.

In 1959, the founders of Borneo Bulletin sold the press and newspaper to the Straits Times of Singapore. The first Bulletins were published with different covers for the three different editions for Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak. Publication rose to about 10,000 by 1957 but was reduced to about 6,000 in 1970 as a result of both Sarawak and Sabah being incorporated in Malaysia. However, by 1983, production had increased to about 30,000 before gradually reducing to about 10,000 by 1997.

In 1985, Brunei‘s first public listed company, QAF, took over part of the shares of Brunei Press from the Straits Times. By September 1990, the Borneo Bulletin became a daily newspaper. At present, the circulation per issue average 20,000 copies daily while the weekend and Sunday edition average 25,000 copies.

The third publication is the Government‘s Pelita Brunei‘ which was first published in 1956. Pelita Brunei‘s first issue on 15th February 1956 had His Majesty Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Saadul Khairi Waddien‘s speech inaugurating the publication of the newspaper.

In 1957, Pelita Brunei was produced twice monthly and was at first produced using A4 size paper before increasing in size to 9 inches by 14 inches in 1959. It was not until July 1965 before Pelita Brunei became a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday and remained so until now.

In the beginning, there was only about 1,000 being printed by the 1990s, more than 45,000 Pelita Brunei was printed weekly becoming the largest print publication in the country. The content of the newspaper increased from about 4 pages to about 24 pages now and with a second part being added to it containing all the government job vacancies and tenders being awarded in the government as well as other interesting features and articles.

A fourth publication was a short lived one called the Berita Brunei which was first published in March 1957. It was printed in Malay and also partly in Jawi. It was a weekly publication and was published every Thursday and sold for about 10 cents each with a print run of about 5,000. By July 1958, the Jawi was dropped and by October 1959 it was renamed as Berita Borneo. However the newly named Berita Borneo only lasted for 5 editions and the last publication was in December 1958 with the editor citing the drop in advertisements from Malaysia and Singapore as the main reason for its demise.

In April 1958, another publication in Jawi started called Malaysia, printed by the Budaya Press. Sold for about 20 cents each, it too died by September 1958.

A publication by a former political party called Suara Bakti was published on October 1961 and came out every Friday was the sixth newspaper in Brunei. It dubbed itself "the largest weekly newspaper in North Kalimantan" and sold for 20 cents each. However, the newspaper came out sporadically and by December 1961 it only had about 10 editions. A new editor took over and that too lasted for only about 5 editions before closing down in January 1962.

A seventh publication called Bintang Harian and The Daily Star published in both Malay and English first appeared in March 1966. It appeared everyday except Sunday and cost about 15 cents. More than 10,000 copies were printed daily as it was published not just for Brunei, but also for Sabah and Sarawak, West Malaysia and Singapore. When it stopped publication in January 1971, more than 15,000 copies was printed. The publication stopped when the publishers, The Star Press became a subsidiary of The Brunei Press.

Two other government publications, Brunei Darussalam Newsletter and the Brunei Darussalam Daily Digest were published in October 1985 and January 1990 respectively. The former continued being published but its readership was mostly made up of foreign readers and it was seldom seen by local readers. The latter stopped, but efforts are in place to revive it publication.

Media Permata was the latest of a number of local Malay newspaper when it began in January 1995 as a weekly paper focusing on local news and features for the Malay literate. It was relaunched as a daily newspaper in July 1998 and remained so until today with an average of 10,000 copies of Media Permata being circulated. Media Permata is available from Monday to Friday and a weekend edition is also available for Saturday and Sunday.

The last newspaper to appear before The Brunei Times was the News Express. It started when the 20th Southeast Asian Games were hosted in Bandar Seri Begawan towards the later end of 1999. By early 2001, it too joined the ranks of other newspapers which were unable to sustain themselves in Brunei‘s competitive newspaper market.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (19 Juli 2007)

Thai PM Airs Education Plan For South

2011-08-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

Bangkok - PM Gen Surayud Chulanont has pledged to promote education among residents of the southernmost provinces of Thailand as part of a long-term government plan to resolve unrest in the restive south.

Addressing the public in his weekly TV programme on Saturday, Gen Surayud said education in varied subjects will be offered to young people in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani so that they could qualify for jobs in the far south as well as in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that unrest in the southernmost provinces, particularly involving large-scale bombings and other acts of violence, had gradually reduced, though assaults on individual targets remained.

Gen Surayud said persons arrested in suspected connection with insurgent activities will be treated justly during questioning and will not be physically abused as earlier alleged.

If found innocent of connections with the violence and released, such persons may be offered a vocational training course.

Source: www.zeenews.com (19 Juli 2007)

Brunei Meets World Standard In Safeguarding Ozone Layer

2011-08-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

Brunei-Muara - Brunei Darussalam is in compliance with the international agreement to lower the use of chemicals that are harmful to the ozone layer, said the Director of Environment, Parks and Recreation of the Ministry of Development.

According to Hj Zakaria Hj Saruddin, the Sultanate has managed to decrease the Volume of imported ozone depleting substances (ODS) from 39.12 kilometric ton in 2005 to 26.5 kilometric ton in 2006, which is by far under the 39.12 kilometric ton set by the Montreal Protocol in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

Speaking, during the officiating of a training programme for customs officers on monitoring and control of ODS yesterday, Hj Zakaria said Brunei Darussalam initially involved with efforts to save the environment when it became one of the 191 members of the Montreal Protocol in August 1993.

Some 40 custom officers along with several officials from the Ministry of Education and Land Transport Department are attending the threeday programme. The programme is conducted by a representative from the United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP), Liu Ning, and a Custom Officer from the Malaysian Customs Department, Mohammad Jazam Mohammad Yassin.

According to the UNEP ROAP`s representative, illegal international trade in environmentally-sensitive commodities such as ozone depleting substances, toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes, and endangered species is an international problem with serious consequences.

"Many international treaties have been created in an effort to address pressing environmental issues," he said.

Previously, the most well known environmental problem was the issue of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and the ozone layer which has since been under control, due to the Montreal` Protocol.

He went on to say that CFC`s are chemical compounds developed as replacements for toxic refrigerants as the CFC, once released into the atmosphere will move its way to the stratosphere where they will eventually sap the ozone layer that is supposed to protect life on earth from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation.

So far, local and international crime syndicates worldwide earn an estimated US$22-31 billion annually from hazardous waste dumping, smuggling proscribed hazardous materials; and exploiting and trafficking protected natural resources.

The training is conducted by the Department of Environment; Parks as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in April 2007 between Brunei and UNEP ROAP to control, reduce and monitor the import and export of ODS.

The programme is expected to be implemented in two phases. The first phase will involve the training of 20 custom officers, including some senior officer, as instructors by UNEP ROAP international consultant, while the second phase will see these trainers coaching the rest of the programme`s participants.

The workshop is being held at the Training Centre at the Ministry of Development.

Source: www.brudirect.com (19 Juli 2007)

Heritage Awareness Rising Among Singaporeans: Study

2011-08-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

Singapore - Singaporeans are becoming more aware of their heritage.

Many also feel that heritage plays a positive role in their lives and are supporting efforts to preserve it, according to the latest survey by the National Heritage Board.

The level of heritage awareness among Singaporeans has increased by 20% compared to five years ago when the first survey was carried out.

Since then, there has been a significant rise in the frequency of visits to heritage districts like Chinatown and Little India, as well as a rise in people agreeing it is important government continually invest in places like the National Museum to preserve Singapore heritage.

95 percent of respondents also support the preservation of all aspects of Singapore`s heritage now and in the future.

And this is something that the government too believes in.

"The heritage of people, of a society was not cast in stone or cast in iron, and unchangeable. Heritage involves with time. That is why each and every one of us can contribute to our national heritage," said the Information, Communications and the Arts Minister, Dr Lee Boon Yang.

Almost 9 out of 10 respondents say a better understanding of the country`s history and heritage increases their sense of rootedness.

The findings were released at the launch of this year`s HeritageFest at Suntec City.

The Festival Hub features belongings like childhood memories contributed by Singaporeans.

Each of the items, like Loh Lik Peng`s memories of the barber shop, tells a different story.

They are not just reflections of their own lives, but make up pieces of the puzzle of Singapore`s history too.

The festival, which covers a range of activities, runs until the end of the month.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (19 Juli 2007)

Najib Hails Conference On Malaysia-Indonesia Relations

2011-08-09T02:45:00.001-07:00

Kuala Lumpur - Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today hailed a conference on Malaysia-Indonesia relations being held here as a platform that could forge greater cooperation in education between the two countries.

He said the 50th Merdeka Conference on Malaysia-Indonesia Relations, organised by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Universiti Malaya with the collaboration of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, would help foster cooperation between the academic staff of the faculty and those of universities in Indonesia in the areas of conferences, research and publications.

Najib said this in his speech opening the conference at the university. The text of his speech was read out by Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

More than 60 working papers are expected to be tabled at the two-day conference beginning today.

Najib also expressed his appreciation to the university for conferring an honorary doctorate in economics on Indonesian Vice-President Muhammad Yusuf Kalla. The presentation will be held at a special convocation on July 21.

The deputy prime minister said Malaysia-Indonesia relations in education had been forged a long time ago.

He said Indonesia had contributed teaching manpower to Malaysia when Malaysia started the teaching of Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia in the 1970s.

At the same time, he said, Malaysia sent its students to Indonesia to pursue courses in Science and Arts because of the similarity in language and culture.

"Now, Malaysia is sending students in large numbers to take up medicine and pharmacy in Indonesian universities," he said.

Source: www.bernama.com (19 Juli 2007)

Sri Lankan Malays Plead For Representation In The Legislature

2011-08-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

Colombo- Sri Lankan Malays lament over the non-representation of their community in the legislature and appeal from the All Party Representative Committee to grant opportunity for the non-represented communities in a future constitution.

Sri Lankan Malay community numbers well over 70,000 although some say the statistics of the census is wrong as they are often misidentified as Muslims. They are spread all over the country and cannot win a seat in the parliament in the current context.

Malays say that they had an opportunity under the 1948 constitution for parliamentary representation through the six seats offered to be appointed from the non-represented communities until the 1972 republican constitution shed the provision.

They say that only once a Malay was appointed from the national list after 1978 and it was during the President Premadasa`s time.

Source: www.colombopage.com (19 Juli 2007)

History Can Help Reflect Our Society, Says Musa Hitam

2011-08-09T01:37:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur- Malaysians must re-look into history to help them appreciate what the nation has gone through and how the Malaysian society has evolved since independence almost half a century ago.

Tun Musa Hitam states that; "We not only have come a long way in terms of nation building. We have come a long way in terms of establishing a resilient plural society.

"With all its weaknesses, with all its faults, with all its problems, it is still a nation for everybody to be proud of," said Musa.

The writer met with the former deputy prime minister and UMNO`s past deputy president recently to seek his views on how far Malaysia has come since independence almost 50 years ago.

Musa said that in less than half a century, Malaysia has seen tremendous progress in the physical, social, political and economic realms beyond what was envisioned by the nation`s forefathers.

However, he believes the various races are still a long way from being united in the manner that was thought possible when independence was achieved.

Racial Divide And The Reality

"Let`s be frank about that. For that matter, no country in the world had or can provide an ideal example of what a united nation or country is." He reminded that Malaysia is far better off because even in this modern age, dismantling of unity based on race and religion is happening in so many developed nations.

"I want to tell you that a Malay will remain a Malay, a Chinese will still be a Chinese and an Indian will still be an Indian. Let`s enjoy Malaysia as it is. Let`s not worry about the perceived disintegration in race relations.

"We got a good thing going for us, so stop sulking and interpreting everything. Instead work to improve on it and stop this perceived decay in racial relations. If the situation remains like what we are seeing today, I would say in 50 years time Malaysia would be a `wow` country," said Musa.

Racial Turmoil Avoided

Negative perception on race relations is nothing new. Musa recalled the premonition of the Sri Lankan (then Ceylon) Prime Minister that Malaya would suffer from a racial turmoil within 10 years of her independence.

"It was in 1958 during a student gathering in Ceylon that I met Prime Minister Solomon West Diaz Bandaranaike (he laughed praising his ability to recall such a long name). He took me in his car and introduced me to his ministers.

"The prime minister told me that Malaya would face racial turmoil within 10 years after her independence but I begged to differ.

"This is where my nationalism was born. I was so upset and argued with him. He told me that I had better believe what he said as Malaya was also multi-racial.

"When I became the political secretary to Tun Sardon Jubir and then the executive secretary of UMNO, I travelled all over the country and related what the Sri Lankan prime minister told me. This did not go well with Tunku and he condemned me and referred me as a greenhorn," recalled Musa.

It is most fortunate that Malaysia only witnessed the May 13, 1969, tragedy and ever since it has managed race relations very well. Another development that Musa observed since Merdeka is that there is more political awareness among the non-Malays today than in the early days.

"This is very significant because when I started those days, politics was just a Malay thing. The Chinese as far as they were concerned (that is my impression), were only interested in making money through business. The Indians too were going about doing their own thing. Political consciousness was purely a Malay agenda, unlike now, where everyone is comfortable with being a Malaysian," opined Musa.

Musa`s Own Experience

Going back to the days preceding Merdeka, the Segamat born Musa fondly reminisced the pre-Merdeka days. Musa recalled that he was "a young school boy conscious of what was going on."

"I was literally in the midst of the action, the rise of Malay politics. I lived not far away from Datuk Onn Jaafar`s house but he was the upper class while we were just commoners.

"I was awed by the on-goings but had no political inclination at all but probably it is the environment that made me feel so conscious. That was more than 50 years ago, little did I expect that we would come such a long way; a very, very long way," recalled Musa, gesturing with both hands to elaborate on the passage of time.

Student Politican To Roving Diplomat

The former Johor Baharu English College (Now Kolej Sultan Abu Bakar) student`s political career did not come by chance. Musa admitted that he had always wanted to be in politics even when still in school. When he was studying philosophy and history at University Malaya, he became interested in international affairs.

Due to this, after graduating from University Malaya, he took up a position with an International Student`s Secretariat based in Leiden, Holland for two years before returning home in the early 60s to serve as the Assistant District Officer (ADO) in Kluang.

As he made up his mind to venture into politics he left his government post and joined a Singapore-based company, Jardine Waugh, where he was selling cameras, essence of chicken , tractors, air-conditioning units, soaps and detergents.

Quit Politics

During a visit to Sabah, he met Sardon Jubir who took him in as his political secretary. According to Musa, "Sardon was the one who really gave me a break and taught me about grassroots politics."

Musa is sad that the grassroots politics practised by today`s politicians has changed.

"In the old days, there was more of this human or personal touch. One of the reasons was there was no other means. You have to go down to the people. But unfortunately no thanks to modern technology with the telephone, television, radio, what more internet, the form of communication has changed.

"This is the thing that I regret very much. If I sound like an old man, I am an old man. With modern technology there is less of that personal touch," he lamented.

He was in active politics for more than 30 years. He resigned from the deputy prime minister`s post in 1986 and sometime later left politics for good.

Even after he quit politics, Musa is still very much in the limelight. He was appointed by the government to lead the Malaysian delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights (1993-1998) and also as the Chairman, 51st (1995) and 52nd (2000) Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. In 2000 Musa was appointed as the Special Envoy of Prime Minister to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).

Now at 73, Musa still exudes charm. He keeps himself occupied, shuttling between his offices including one located at the 48th floor of Menara Citibank, Jalan Ampang and another at Kompleks Antarabangsa, Jalan Sultan Ismail.

He is currently among others, the chairman for the Lion Industries Corporation Berhad, the Malaysia-China Business Council and the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF).

Source: www.bernama.com.my (19 Juli 2007)

Meeting To Discuss Needed Improvements In Literary Scene

2011-08-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Some 20 literary activists comprising writers, thinkers and university lecturers attended a get-together recently at the Restoran Koperasi Serbaguna Polis in Delima Jaya Complex of Serusop to discuss ways of improving literature in the country.

Organising Chairman Hj Ahmad Hussain, also the Penghulu of Mukim Berakas `A`, said that new paradigms must be found to advance Malay literature and popularise it among the younger generation in Brunei.

"Youths are now more interested in other things, such as computer games, television, chatting, mobile phones and so on," he said.

Amongst those present were Dato Paduka Hj Muslim Hj Burnt, Hj Abd Rahman Yusof, K Manis, Yusof MD, Hj Abd Hakim Hj Mohd Yassin, Rahim MS, Mohd Zefri Arif, Abdul Latif Chuchu, Sosonjan Khan, Yahya Ghafar and Suip Wahab.

They mostly agreed on the suggested setting of a national literary committee to come up with methodologies to compete with other exciting developments in science and technology.

"Members of the council should also think about ways of advancing Malay literature as well as introducing our writers not only to the local community, but also the world," he added. At the end of the discussion, they also agreed to introduce writers and their works to schools.

The activists also called for the literary works of royal writers such as Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa`adul Khairi Waddien and Pg Sarmayuda Pg Shahbandar Mohd Salleh to be more widely distributed as to not lose such important legacies.

They called for a detailed analysis of the writings to spur greater interest.

The resolutions will be forwarded to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports on July 29 for further actions.--

Source: www.brudirect.com (19 Juli 2007)

Bangka Belitung Legislator Calls For Mangrove Conservation

2011-08-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Pangkalpinang, Babel - A local legislator of the Bangka Belitung Island Province have called for mangrove conservation in order to prevent coastal area erosion

"At present, mangrove forest in Babel is seriously damaged. If the damage continues to get worse, it will trigger erosion at the province‘s coastal area and will later negatively affect the activities of local fishermen and the ecology in general," Zulkarnaen Syamsuddin, one of the Babel legislators, said here on Thursday.

Bangka Belitung Island Province consists of 65,301 km2 of water area, and 18,000 km2 of land area. Mangrove trees used to grow well in the coastal area.

However, constructions of some infrastructures in the new province have encroached some parts of Babel Island‘s mangrove forest.

The Bangka Belitung Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) planned to draft a regulation to protect mangrove in the Sumatran province, he said.

Meanwhile, some 70 percent of Indonesia‘s remaining mangrove forests were damaged due to human activities, an expert said recently.

Dr. Cecep Kusmana, a professor at the Bogor Institute of Technology said that forestry ministry data shows about 6.7 million of Indonesia‘s 9.4 million hectares of mangrove forest were damaged, including 2.2 million of which were "seriously degraded." The figures do not include mangrove forest that has been cleared or converted for agriculture.

"The damages of the country mangrove forest areas were mainly due to human encroachment such as for settlement, ponds, and plantation," Kusmana was quoted as saying.

"Despite the vast damages, Indonesia relatively has better mangrove forest areas than other countries in the region, because Indonesia still has intact mangrove areas in on Papua and Kalimantan Islands."

Kusmana said mangroves play an important ecological role in Indonesia, serving as a refuge for wildlife and protecting against coastal erosion. He advocated conservation and rehabilitation of mangrove forests.

Source: www.antara.com (19 Juli 2007)

Jali-jali Pukau Penonton Brucken der Freundschaft Hamburg

2011-08-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

London, Inggris - Tari Jail-jali dari Jakarta yang dibawakan penari cilik dan remaja Indonesia dengan gerakan lincah dan gemulai diiringin irama musik dengan warna kostum tradisional, memukau pengunjung Brucken der Freundschaft? di Hamburg, Jerman.

KJRI Hamburg dalam keterangan persnya yang diterima Antara London, Selasa menyebutkan penampilan budaya Indonesia oleh anak-anak dan remaja pada kegiatan "Brucken der Freundschaft" tersebut menjadi favorit penonton yang hadir. Sebelum sambutan tepuk tangan berhenti, seakan belum tersadar dari hipnotis, penari cilik dan remaja Indonesia melanjutkan tari Jali-jali yang dibawakan secara lincah dan gemulai.

Wunderbar..wunderbar..(hebat..hebat...),zugabe...zugabe... (lagi..lagi..) suara gempita penonton yang menyaksikan penampilan budaya Indonesia oleh penari cilik dan remaja Indonesia.

Para penari cilik binaan KJRI Hamburg berhasil memukau sekitar 100 orang penonton pada acara “Brucken der Freundschaft” atau Jembatan Persahabatan yang diadakan pada akhir pekan itu.

Acara digelar oleh Verein fur Bildung, Kultur und Volkerverstandigung in Hamburg und Umgebung (BKV) e.V, Lembaga Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan di Hamburg yang didirikan pada Januari 2007.

Lembaga tersebut setiap tahunnya melaksanakan program budaya internasional yang bertujuan untuk mendukung eksistensi masyarakat internasional di Hamburg dalam mempromosikan budaya negaranya masing-masing serta memupuk persahabatan antara masyarakat internasional dengan masyarakat setempat. Secara spontan, penyelenggara dan masyarakat yang hadir menuju ke panggung guna berfoto bersama.

Meskipun bukan penari profesional, pihak penyelenggara dan penonton menunjukkan apresiasi yang tinggi atas penampilan penari cilik tersebut. Kegiatan "Brucken der Freundschaft" diikuti oleh sembilan negara yaitu Indonesia, Pakistan, Albania, Iran, Rusia, Turki, Afganistan, Bosnia dan Jerman.

Sumber: http://www.antaranews.com

Rayakan Kekayaan Budaya di Chesham

2011-08-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

London, Ingrgris - Komunitas Indonesia yang tergabung dalam Southeast Asian Community di Kota Chesham Inggris menggelar Southeast Asian Cultural Event di Chesham Park Community College, Minggu.

Kegiatan budaya ini diramaikan oleh berbagai pertunjukan kesenian dari negara-negara Asia Tenggara serta bazaar makanan dan kerajinan produk negara-negara Asia, seperti Jepang, India, Paksitan, Thailand dan tentunya Indonesia.

Sekretaris Satu KBRI London, Novan Ivanhoe Saleh kepada Antara London, Senin, menyebutkan dalam acara tersebut hadir sebagai tamu kehormatan, Walikota Amersham, Ibu Mimi Harker, anggota dewan Kota dan pejabat kepolisian wilayah Thames Valley.

Dalam sambutannya, Walikota Mimi Harker menyampaikan penghargaannya kepada komunitas Asia Tenggara di Chesham, sekaligus menekankan dukungannya atas upaya penguatan hubungan sesama warga melalui pendekatan budaya.

Berbagai pertunjukan kesenian dari Indonesia digelar pada pentas budaya ini, seperti antara lain tari Sekar Putri dari Jawa Barat, tari Rara Ngingel dari Yogyakarta, pertunjukan gamelan Jawa, demonstrasi gamelan dan angklung, serta lagu-lagu Melayu yang dibawakan kelompok band Indonesia dari London.

Dalam kegiatan ini, KBRI London memberikan dukungan penuh kepada komunitas Indonesia di Chesham, antara lain melalui peminjaman peralatan musik termasuk gamelan yang dimainkan anak-anak keturunan Indonesia di kota tersebut.

Sebelumnya, selama dua bulan para anak-anak ini telah berlatih musik gamelan setiap akhir pekan di KBRI London.

Ajang budaya ini telah dimanfaatkan KBRI London dengan membuka stand yang memamerkan produk-produk khas Indonesia dan mempromosikan Indonesia dengan cara membagikan brosur-brosur tujuan pariwisata di Indonesia kepada para pengunjung yang hadir.

Chesham adalah kota kecil dengan 20.000 penduduk terletak 44 KM sebelah barat kota London setiap tahunnya merayakan kekayaan budaya Negara Negara Asia yang berada di Kerajaan Inggris di Chesham, termasuk Komunitas Indonesia.

Sumber: http://oase.kompas.com

Lenggok Gemulai Tarian Melayu Mendayu di TBSU

2011-08-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Medan, Sumut - Belasan wanita-wanita cantik dan lelaki tampan, tampak asik dalam gerakan-gerakan di panggung pementasan terbuka Taman Budaya Sumatera Utara (TBSU), Senin (6/6). Sore itu, sekitar pukul 16.30 WIB, alunan musik melayu mereka implementasikan dengan gerakan tarian.

Wajah-wajah mereka pun tersipu malu, tersenyum, tatkala ada yang menyempatkan diri mengambil foto-foto di saat mereka menari. Sementara, belasan orang lain yang duduk mengelilingi panggung, tampak diam seakan terpesona dengan liukan-liukan kaki, jari-jari tangan yang menandakan ciri khas tarian tradisional.

Instruktur yang sekaligus pendiri sanggar tari Nusantara Indonesia Irfan Syah, menjelaskan awal mula berdiri pada 1 Januari 2011, ia memang berkeinginan untuk melestarikan kebudayaan tari. Banyaknya tarian modern yang ada di Indonesia, tak menyurutkannya atau merubah pandangannya terhadap tarian tradisional itu sendiri.

"Saya yakin dengan tarian tradisional mampu berkembang pesat ketimbang tarian modern. Buktinya di banyak event besar, tarian ini yang selalu ditampilkan dan bukan tari modern atau tari kreasi baru," ujar Irfan yang pernah melanglang buana ke Jepang, China, dan negara Eropa dengan modal tariannya.

Sumber: http://medan.tribunnews.com

Budaya Bangka Perlu Digali untuk Promosi Wisata

2011-08-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Bangka, Babel - Sejauh ini, masih banyak potensi budaya Bangka yang perlu digali untuk menunjang pariwisata daerah. Di antaranya, berupa atraksi dan pagelaran kesenian daerah di Kabupaten Bangka.

"Padahal wisata budaya kalau dikemas bagus tentu bisa menarik pelancong, sehingga wisata budaya dapat menunjang pariwisata di Bangka," ujar Windiati, Kabid Kebudayaan, Disbudpar Bangka kepada bangkapos.com, Selasa (7/6/2011).

Menurut Windiati, selain meteri budaya yang belum dikemas menarik, juga minat masyarakat menyaksikan masih kurang. Disamping, dana even serta promosi pun terbatas, sehingga wisata budaya di Bangka belum dilirik oleh para pelancong atau wisatawan.

Selama ini wisata budaya Kabupaten Bangka yang telah rutin dilaksanakan antara lain; rebo kasan, perayaan maulid nabi, sembahyang kubur, sun go kong, ceria imlek, mandi belimau, dan lainnya.

Sumber: http://bangka.tribunnews.com

Pameran Mahasiswa ISI di Bentara Budaya Bali

2011-08-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Sebagaimana program Akademika Bentara sebelumnya, pada awal bulan Juni ini, Bentara Budaya Bali kembali merangkul civitas akademika untuk menuangkan gagasan serta mengekspresikan kreativitas mereka melalui diskusi maupun pameran karya. Bekerjasama dengan ISI Denpasar (Institut Seni Indonesia), akan digelar pameran karya-karya Seni Rupa, Desain Interior, Desain Grafis, Kriya Seni, serta Fotografi di Bentara Budaya Bali.

Acara yang akan dibuka oleh Prof. Dr. I Wayan Rai., MA. pada Selasa, 7 Juni 2011 ini, menampilkan karya-karya dua dimensi hasil kreativitas mahasiswa Jurusan Seni Rupa Murni, Jurusan Desain Program Studi Desain Interior dan Program Studi Desain Komunikasi Visual serta Program Studi Fotografi. Di samping itu, akan dihadirkan pula karya-karya tiga dimensi semisal seni instalasi, patung, dan lain sebagainya. Pameran ini merupakan program FSRD (Fakultas Seni Rupa dan Desain) ISI Denpasar, sekaligus sebagai Tugas Akhir mahasiswa semester genap tahun 2010/2011 yang akan mempertanggungjawabkan karyanya melalui presentasi dan diskusi.

Staff Budaya BBB, Juwitta Katrina Lasut menyampaikan bahwasanya selain membuka ruang pada seniman mumpuni dan berdedikasi serta yang tengah meneguhkan eksistensinya, Bentara Budaya Bali juga memberi apresiasi bagi upaya-upaya edukasi terkait pengembangan bakat dan pencapaian prestasi seni. “Kami menyambut baik upaya kerjasama ISI Denpasar dalam penyelenggaraan pameran yang menampilkan karya 63 mahasiswa,” tuturnya.

Pameran yang akan berlangsung selama seminggu, sedari 8 – 15 Juni ini, mengambil tajuk “Life Style” atau gaya hidup. Karya-karya mereka tentu menarik untuk dicermati dan disimak, menimbang selama ini perguruan-perguruan tinggi seni, termasuk ISI Denpasar, telah terbukti turut menyumbangkan pemikiran-pemikiran baru serta membangun kehidupan kreatif. Juwitta Katrina Lasut juga menambahkan bahwa tidak sedikit seniman-seniman Indonesia berprestasi mulai terasah bakatnya sewaktu yang bersangkutan menempuh studi di perguruan atau institut seni. Dengan demikian kehidupan kampus yang sehat, dinamis serta demokratis, layak diperjuangkan bersama.

Melalui agenda Akademika, Bentara Budaya Bali membuka seluasnya kerjasama dengan perguruan tinggi, universitas serta unit-unit kegiatan mahasiswa. Selain sebagai sarana ekspresi bagi pengembangan bakat, minat dan pribadi yang unggul, agenda ini juga diharapkan dapat mendorong tumbuhnya budaya berpikir kritis serta kepedulian sosial kalangan muda.

Sumber: http://oase.kompas.com

Runtuhnya Benteng Peradaban

2011-08-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

Oleh Lusiana Indriasari

Indonesia memiliki sejumlah benteng yang menjadi saksi perjalanan sejarah bangsa ini sejak sebelum abad ke-16 hingga masa Perang Dunia II. Meski masih ada yang berdiri utuh, sebagian besar benteng-benteng tersebut kini tinggal reruntuhan.

"Selamat datang di benteng terbesar di dunia." Spanduk besar itu terpampang di gerbang masuk Benteng Keraton Wolio yang berlokasi di atas tebing Kota Bau-Bau, Pulau Buton, Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara. Benteng seluas 22,4 hektar dengan panjang keliling 2.740 meter ini merupakan ikon pariwisata Kota Bau-bau.

Bagi masyarakat sekitar, Benteng Wolio bukan sekadar sisa sejarah, tetapi juga mendatangkan potensi ekonomi. Ketika kesadaran wisata di dalam negeri mulai terdongkrak, benteng yang dibangun tahun 1578-1615 pada masa Kesultanan Buton ini menjadi salah satu tujuan wisata favorit di Sultra, terutama di wilayah Kepulauan Buton, setelah Wakatobi.

”Banyak turis lokal dan asing mampir ke Pulau Buton untuk melihat Wolio sebelum terbang lagi ke Wakatobi,” kata Ali Arham, Kepala Bidang Nilai Budaya dan Pariwisata Kota Bau- Bau. Dengan pesawat kecil, penerbangan dari Buton ke Wakatobi memakan waktu 15 menit.

Potensi ekonomi itu setidaknya dirasakan Burhanudin, warga di sekitar benteng yang menjadi tukang ojek. Dalam sehari, ia bisa mendapat uang Rp 50.000 untuk mengantar tamu yang ingin menjelajah wilayah di dalam benteng. Bulan April lalu, kegiatan Arung Sejarah Bahari yang diadakan Direktorat Geografi dan Sejarah Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata mengerahkan 150 mahasiswa untuk berkunjung ke Benteng Wolio.

Di dalam tembok Benteng Wolio terdapat 624 rumah yang masih mempertahankan gaya arsitektur khas Kerajaan Buton. Pada masa lalu, benteng yang konstruksinya terbuat dari batu karang ini dihuni oleh sultan, pejabat, serta para pegawai kesultanan. Sayangnya, sebagian pemilik rumah kini mulai menggantikan rumah kayu mereka dengan rumah tembok.

Benteng Keraton Wolio merupakan satu dari 100 benteng peninggalan Kerajaan Buton. Dibandingkan benteng lainnya, seperti Benteng Sorawolio, benteng besar ini relatif masih utuh sehingga masih bisa ”dijual” untuk wisatawan.

Terabaikan

Benteng Wolio merupakan benteng yang dibangun pada masa Kesultanan Buton. Benteng ini dibangun oleh para sultan di Buton dengan mengerahkan warga sekitar. Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur (PDA) memasukkan benteng yang dibangun oleh komunitas di nusantara itu dalam kategori benteng Nusantara.

Martinus Setyo, salah satu surveyor PDA, mengatakan, benteng Nusantara paling banyak terdapat di Indonesia. Namun, kondisinya sudah banyak yang hancur sehingga tidak dikenali lagi.

Selain benteng Nusantara, di penjuru tanah air juga berserakan benteng-benteng kolonial yang dibangun pada masa kolonialisme negara-negara barat di Indonesia dan benteng peninggalan masa Perang Dunia II.

Data survei PDA menemukan 442 benteng di seluruh Indonesia. Dari jumlah tadi, 351 benteng memiliki informasi sejarah, sedangkan 91 benteng lain sama sekali tidak diketahui informasi sejarahnya.

”Dari situ sebenarnya benteng memiliki potensi untuk dikembangkan menjadi tempat wisata sejarah,” kata Nadya Purwesti, Direktur Eksekutif Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur yang berkantor di Jakarta.

Persoalannya, sebagian besar benteng yang bisa menjadi sumber ilmu pengetahuan budaya dan sejarah ini dalam kondisi rusak. Kerusakan disebabkan kurangnya kepedulian pemerintah untuk melindungi dan merawat benteng-benteng tersebut.

Menurut Martinus, belum semua benteng masuk dalam daftar benda cagar budaya yang dilindungi pemerintah. Akibatnya, banyak tangan-tangan manusia yang sengaja merusak bagian-bagian benteng untuk kepentingan pribadi. Kerusakan semacam ini, katanya, paling banyak ditemui pada benteng-benteng di wilayah Indonesia bagian timur.

Di Maluku, misalnya, Benteng Dodinga yang berada di tengah permukiman warga diambil materialnya untuk pengerasan jalan atau memperbaiki rumah warga. Benteng Dodinga yang didirikan pada abad-17 ini pada masa lalu merupakan pos militer penting untuk mengontrol jalur perdagangan rempah- rempah Halmahera Timur ke Ternate. Masih di Maluku juga, warga bahkan menggunakan sisa-sisa benteng lain yang tinggal tapak fondasi untuk mendirikan rumah.

Nasib benteng peninggalan kolonial sama saja. Bekas-bekas persenjataan yang masih terdapat di benteng, seperti meriam, diambil warga setempat. Meriam tersebut dijual kiloan untuk dilebur menjadi bijih besi dan baja.

”Bahkan ada penduduk yang mata pencariannya khusus mengambil meriam, kendaraan sisa perang, dan material besi lain dari benteng,” kata Martinus.

Pemerintah daerah sebenarnya memiliki keinginan memanfaatkan benteng untuk menarik pengunjung datang ke daerah mereka. Keinginan itu diwujudkan dengan memperbaiki benteng-benteng yang rusak. Namun, pada saat memperbaiki, pemerintah setempat tidak memerhatikan kaidah rekonstruksi benda cagar budaya dengan benar.

Sebagian Benteng Wolio, misalnya, dindingnya runtuh karena metode perbaikan yang dilakukan tidak benar. Padahal, selama ini warga setempat menjadikan Benteng Wolio sebagai tempat berkumpul dan bercengkerama. Dengan demikian, sampai kini, benteng tetap menjadi bagian dari peradaban mereka.

Sumber: http://travel.kompas.com

Preserve Spirit of Brotherhood

2011-08-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

BALIK PULAU: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has advised Muslims not to be divided by sectarianism.

The Prime Minister said Muslims should uphold the basic teachings of Islam that emphasised peace, tolerance and love.

“We must preserve our spirit of brotherhood and avoid conflicts,” he told newsmen after performing Friday prayers at Masjid Balik Pulau yesterday.

He said Muslims could achieve excellence through consensus and co-operation.

“My late grandfather Abdullah Fahim said that Malays are Muslims.

“Malay Muslims follow the Imam Syafie sect. But there is no difference between the teachings of Shafie and Sunnah Wal Jamaah as practised by some.

“We hope our efforts to strengthen unity will bear fruit. That is what we have been working on,” he said.

Abdullah added that former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan had said during a function in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night that religious fights were prevalent in his home country Ghana.

“He (Kofi) also said wild accusations are made claiming Islam is a violent and extreme religion,” he said.

Kofi had said that Malaysia`s system of religious pluralism could play an important role in a world dangerously divided by religious faiths.

Kofi also added that there was an urgent need for dialogue to counter rising intolerance, extremism, and violence.

Abdullah said the Islam Hadhari concept emphasised moderation.

“Islam Hadhari is not a new belief. It encompasses development and value-added principals. It focuses on peace, tolerance and love as taught in Islam.

“We do not want violence. We want to struggle for excellence,” he said.

Abdullah said Malaysia was about three or four times more developed than Ghana, which had achieved independence five months before Malaysia.

Abdullah said the key to success in maintaining harmony was consensus and co-operation.

Abdullah had earlier attended the Balik Pulau Umno meeting and state Umno liaison committee meeting before enjoying a durian feast at the Balik Pulau Sports Complex.

Source: www.thestar.com.my (16 Juli 2007)

Merdeka Memoirs: The Salute That Said it All

2011-08-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Our leaders had constantly re-examined and refined their ideas that accompanied the journey to independence. The shifts in approach reflected the passage of time and brought people of different races together, writes PRABHAKARAN S. NAIR.

THE process of adjustment to the realities of the times was reflected in the change of Umno`s slogan from Hidup Melayu (Long Live the Malays) to Merdeka (Independence).

This change signalled the broadening of nationalism to include all races in Malaya.

In the early years, Umno founder Datuk Onn Ja`afar had articulated only Malay interest, but soon realised this approach would lead him nowhere close to independence.

Sir Gerald Templar, the High Commissioner of Malaya, had made it clear that the British government owed it to the non-Malays, to see to their well-being.

This was also the position of Lyttelton, the Colonial Secretary.

So when the proposal to open Umno`s door to the other races was not accepted, Onn left the party. He hoped that the new non-communal party he founded would be acceptable to the British and all races.

In the meantime, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who took over from Onn as Umno president in 1951, realised the importance of winning the non-Malays over.

The Alliance was formed, under the presidency of Tunku, rendering the call of Hidup Melayu irrelevant.

"When I was the president of Umno only, I had only the Malays to consider and reckon with. Then when I became leader of the Alliance, I had the Chinese, Indians and all other Malayans to consider," said Tunku.

After his 1955 election victory, Tunku said that the narrow nationalism of the past had given way to a more inclusive nationalism.

He continued that "in the course of the last few years (the original concept of) nationalism had broadened, and had won into its fold not only the Malays but also the Chinese, Indians and others who looked upon this country as their home".

It is generally assumed that it was Tunku who changed the slogan from Hidup Melayu to Merdeka.

In an interview in 2001, Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin, the last surviving member of Tunku`s Cabinet, is reported to have said that "the Tunku really knew what the people wanted then, because once at the helm, he changed the party slogan".

Umno records show that the slogan was adopted in March 1951, whereas Tunku only took over the leadership of Umno in August 1951.

It is possible that Onn who had read the signs of the times correctly would have wanted a change in the last few months of his Umno presidency.

It cannot be denied that it was Tunku who imbued the rallying call of Merdeka with new spirit and hope following the Umno-MCA electoral pact of 1952.

As Omar had said: "Merdeka was such a powerful force. It galvanised the people and transcended race".

Clenched fist to open hand salute

It is interesting to note that the gradual refinement of ideals and broadening of outlook was reflected in the changing styles of the hand salute that accompanied the rallying call of Merdeka.

MCS officer Veloo Saminathan recollects that "the clenched fist had been used by Umno since its early years as a gesture of defiance against the Malayan Union proposal".

It was at the proclamation of the date of independence in February 1956 that Tunku came up with the clenched fist as the Merdeka Salute.

At the same occasion, which took place at the Bandar Hilir padang in Malacca, a member of Kaum Ibu presented Tunku with a 100-year-old keris.

At that moment he spontaneously raised the keris with his left hand.

Although it was not meant to be a Merdeka salute, images of this action captured the imagination of the people.

When the country celebrated 25 years of independence in 1982, Bank Negara issued three commemorative coins that depicted Tunku with the keris.

The left hand gesture was met with disbelief by some people who thought that the coin must have gone into mint with an error.

Numismatist Datuk Mohamad Kassim said Tunku could have had a message for the people when he raised his left hand.

"The keris raised with the left hand may have signified the desire to achieve independence without shedding blood," said Mohamad.

"Holding the keris with the right hand could be construed as being ready to shed blood."

While recognising the significance of the keris in Malay culture, Tunku had emphasised that the weapon was merely to be considered as a cultural relic.

In a speech on Aug 30, 1957, Tunku said: "With independence let all people who consider Malaya their home cultivate the spirit of goodwill, peace and happiness towards one another.

"Let all the keris and weapons be articles of adornment, for we stand for peace and goodwill and we will work towards this end."

Both these gestures gave way to the open hand salute that was seen for the first time at the Selangor Club padang at midnight on Aug 30, 1957.

Moments earlier, Umno Youth leader Sardon Jubir had presented Tunku with a "gift from the people of Malaya", a gold chain and locket with "Bapa Kemerdekaan" (Father of Independence) inscribed on it.

The crowd then shouted "Bapa Kemerdekaan" three times. Tunku responded with an open hand salute for the first time.

"From now on, it will be an open hand salute," announced Tunku.

Confrontation to conciliation

The confrontational approach towards the British in the early years of Umno gave way to a conciliatory attitude.

The beginnings of Umno was associated with agitation and demonstrations against the Malayan Union.

In time, the strident stance mellowed into a milder form of nationalism that stressed "gradualism and co-operation with the British".

The excellent relationship that evolved over time may be held up as a model of diplomacy. This was due in no small measure to having to confront a common enemy — communism.

More importantly, the relationship was helped by the presence of affable personalities on both sides.

The ties were so close that Tunku once described the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Alan Lennox-Boyd, as "the other Bapa Kemerdekaan".

Tunku had understood the futility of adopting a confrontational approach, when a friendlier approach would have yielded results.

"With the British it is no use going to them and saying, `I demand, I demand, I demand.` You won`t get what you want," said Tunku.

With this conciliatory approach Tunku succeeded in getting the British to fix the date of independence mid-way through their talks.

As we look back, we realise the distance we have travelled — from the first stirrings of a nascent nationalism to the attainment of Merdeka.

Our journey to freedom has been enriched by our gradual awakening to new concepts and ideas.

As we approach 50 years of independence, let us build on these ideals that have matured in the course of that journey, and transcend older modes of thinking that continue to keep us apart.

Source: www.nst.com.my (16 Juli 2007)

A Good Laugh

2011-08-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

When is humour just silly slapstick and when is it subtle satire? One wonders.

IS it proper for a prominent Islamic scholar to fool around with an idiot? More precisely, should the director-general of the Government`s Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding or Ikim) associate himself with Pak Pandir, the Mr Bean of the Malay world? If it`s all frolicking on print, why not?

Hence, Eh! Wat Yu Talking? - Chronicles of Malay Humour, the first comedy book by Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, the aforementioned director-general, who is more used to writing serious treatises on Islam (including, occasionally, in Ikim`s column in The Star.)

Pak Pandir is a well-known village idiot in Malay culture and Syed Ali has compiled many of his classic tales, and also composed some “modern” ones. Other characters include the silly Pak Sago, the wise Abu Nawas and the religious teacher Pak Him.

In fact, the first story, entitled “The Mosquito”, is about Pak Him, Pak Mat and ... wait for this ... Pak Lah. When mosquitoes bother the first two men, they slash the air with their keris, slicing the pesky bugs to bits.

Pak Lah slashes the air, too, but the mosquito still buzzes about. When he is questioned about his seeming ineffectiveness, he replies, “Aah ... but now it is circumcised.”

Surely, it cannot be that Pak Lah?

“Yes, it is,” explains Syed Ali, in an interview before his book launch last Wednesday.

“It is (a reflection of) the Prime Minister as well as his father and grandfather, who were both (renowned religious) scholars. You see, scholars can (intellectually) destroy in a very direct way. But politicians, they incapacitate without killing. Hence, circumcise,” he smiles.

But back to the main protagonist. Why Pak Pandir?

“He`s senseless, yet he succeeds in the end.”

Humorous anecdotes with a dash of Moral Message are a tradition of the Muslim world and Syed Ali says that these include the tales of Joha (in Arabic countries) and Mulla Nasruddin (in Iran).

“I have written lots of serious, scholarly works on Islam. But nobody reads them. This is Malaysia. Maybe people will read a book of humour.”

A few tales in Eh! Wat Yu Talking? show up the denseness and tyranny of certain leaders.

Like when a silly Sultan goes hunting and gets all wet in the rain because he only half-listens to the even sillier Pak Pandir. And then there is the judge who reads the law according to his financial self-interest.

Are these just Dumb and Dumber style jokes? Or is Syed Ali doing a critique of the slavish “yes man” neo-feudal culture of Malaysian politics and patronage?

“I am not taking aim at anybody. I have no intention to slight anyone,” he maintains.

In one story, Pak Pandir says he can`t lend his buffalo to a neighbour because the animal is not around. When the beast grunts loudly from the shed, our good Pak asks whether the neighbour will “take his word as a religious teacher” or believe a buffalo?

Syed Ali has been in the news in the past few months with frank views on Islam. In May, he said that it is not Islam that is to be blamed, but Muslim administrators who cause injustice.

For instance, he explained that in the case of a spouse who converts to Islam after marriage, the Syariah Court would be wrong to pronounce the marriage dissolved automatically. This, he says, is a breach of contract, and is not permitted in Islam.

This has a direct bearing on recent court battles over custody of children after one spouse has converted to Islam. Can the children also be converted by the converting spouse?

In the Ikim Views column of May 1 in The Star, Syed Ali pointed out that a young child cannot really understand the real implications of being so-called “converted” to Islam.

He wrote:

“...What is the point of using the courts `to convert` a child, and separate it from his or her non-Muslim mother? It should be clear by now that one does not become a Muslim (only) by changing one`s name to Muhammad or Abdullah, nor by changing the status of religion in the registration office, what more if it is done by someone else.”

“A child is a child, and naturally has a strong emotional bond with its mother ... To separate a child from its mother is indeed a cruel act, and is unjust from the point of view of Islam, let alone to claim that one is doing so in the name of Islam.”

Syed Ali has been attacked by conservative Muslim voices in Malaysia for his stands.

“Criticism should be constructive. If people don`t agree with the ideas, then we should have a discussion. Unfortunately, people are more interested in insults and personal attacks. Not on what he says but on who is saying it. That is very un-Islamic.”

In January, Syed Ali made waves in local newspapers when he said that the greatest danger to Islam in Malaysia was not couples committing khalwat but rather the “corruption of knowledge” from ulama who are “ignorant of their own ignorance”.

In the interview, Syed Ali recounts a Malay saying that true knowledge, in the breast of an ignoramus, becomes bitter poison.

“It`s like the game in kindergarten when you all stand in a circle. You tell something to the next person and so on until it comes back to you.

“The message usually ends up totally different from the original. It`s because different people have different aptitudes for understanding. When some cannot grasp the meaning, the message becomes corrupted.”

So, is this one of the pointed morals in Eh! Wat Yu Talking?

“It`s just a small book of humour to be read in a bus or maybe in the bathroom. It`s not meant to fire salvoes at anybody. I just collect the stories ... how they are understood is up to people.”

Source: www.thestar.com.my (16 Juli 2007)

Dr M: Cross-Cultural Marriages a Boost For Unity

2011-08-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur - Cross-cultural marriages can strengthen national unity, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

The former prime minister said different cultural backgrounds should not be a barrier for couples to tie the knot.

"Islam accepts anyone of diverse upbringings and traditions. And, it does not stop Muslims from practising their own cultures so long as it is within the scope of the Islamic teaching."

Dr Mahathir, who is the Islamic Welfare Organisation (Perkim) president, said although majority of the Muslims in Malaysia were Malays, it did not mean that the converts must discard their culture and embrace the Malay ways.

"We also should not assume that converts, who hold on to their culture, have a weak grasp of Islam," he said at a cross-cultural wedding reception for 10 couples at Perkim headquarters in Jalan Ipoh yesterday.

Dr Mahathir also advised converts to maintain good ties with their non-Muslim families.

"Don`t separate yourself from your own family once you embrace Islam. You have to make the effort to maintain the family ties.

"Respecting your family is one of the teachings of Islam and other cultures."

Later, Dr Mahathir said Perkim would continue its programmes to help Muslim converts and thanked the government for the RM10 million allocation to be used for this purpose.

Source: www.nst.com.my (16 Juli 2007)

The Malay Wedding

2011-08-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

The pre-wedding meeting between the bride`s and the groom`s parents will determine the dowry that is to be given to the bride as well as the date of the solemnisation. This may be as early as a year before the wedding itself so that arrangements could be made in advance. Often the wedding is held on one convenient weekend so as to accommodate relatives who live far away and to reduce costs. The berinai (henna application) ceremony is held prior to the wedding. The bride`s palms and feet are `decorated` with the dye from the henna leaves. Sometimes this is followed by the tukar pakaian (costume changes) and the bride and, less often, the groom will don different clothes for photography. The pelamin (raised dais) will be beautifully decorated for the purpose.

Akad Nikah

Marriage is a contract, and the akad nikah effectively forges the union. The solmnsation is normally presided by a kadhi, a religious official of the Syariat (Shariat) Court. In olden days, it was customary for the bride`s biological father to perform this function. The akad nikah ceremony is in effect a verbal contract between the bride`s father or his representative (in this case the kadhi) and the groom. A small sum of money called the mas kahwin (in Singapore, it is S$22.50 as of 1998) seals the contract. The dialogue is as follows, and must be articulated clearly as to be heard by three witnesses:

Kadhi: I marry thee to (so-and-so) with the mas kahwin of S$22.50

Groom: I accept this marriage with (so-and-so) with the mas kahwin of S$22.50

The simplicity of this ritual belies the tremendous responsibilities of the groom to care for his bride, and this is reinforced in a brief lecture on marriage and its responsibilities delivered later by the kadhi. The groom is also reminded that, should he fail to provide both spiritual and physical sustenance for his wife, the marriage may be dissolved if a complaint is made to the Syariat Court.

One needs to distinguish the mas kahwin and the hantaran (dowry). The small sum of the mas kahwin is to ensure that even poor people could marry, for marriage is encouraged for all healthy Muslims. The hantaran, on the other hand, is more customary and may go into thousands of dollars. Often, the hantaran takes the form of both cash and jewelry or clothing.

The istiadat hantar belanja (sending of dowry and gifts) and upacara akad nikah (solemnisation) often take place at the bride`s place. The recent trend, though, is to hold the solemnisation in the mosque as was performed during Prophet Muhammad`s (pbuh) time. The solemnisation is usually conducted by the kadhi (marriage official) in front of witnesses after both partners are asked separately if they consent to the marriage. Gifts are then exchanged and there may be a recitation of the Quran.

Gifts from the groom are checked to ensure that they are as promised. They will then be displayed in the bridal chamber. Gifts of clothes, toiletries and even prayer mats (to signify their adherence to the religion) are presented in intricate boxes or forms known as gubahan.

Bersanding

Guests are invited to partake of a meal on Sunday. This is usually held in the void deck of a housing flat so as to accommodate the large number of guests invited. Besides cutting down on costs, holding the feast in the void deck also enables the guests to view the bridal chamber and the bersanding (sitting in state) ceremony often held in the pengantin`s (bride/groom) home. The wedding preparation is often based on the gotong-royong (cooperation) among friends and relatives, for which the Malays are most well known for. Again in Singapore, simplicity has given way to tradition and requires that such tasks be undertaken by caterers.

Guests are presented with a bunga telur each. Literally, this means `flower and egg`. Previously, the gifts were eggs dyed red placed in a cup or container with some glutinous rice at the base. Sometimes a paper flower is added to decorate the gift. The egg symbolises a fertile union and the hope that the marriage will produce many children. Indeed, the Prophet (pbuh) had told Muslims: "Marry and produce many children so that I may be proud of your numbers on Judgement Day". Today, most gifts are commercially prepared and may take the form of chocolates, jelly or even a cake of soap.

The feast is often a noisy, lively and informal affair. This is further enhanced by the colourful costumes worn by the guests themselves. A Malay band group may be hired to add to the gay atmosphere.

The arrival of the groom is heralded by the hadrah troupe. This group, of mostly teenagers, will beat the kompang (hand drums) and sing Quranic verses and good wishes. The groom is often flanked by bunga manggar (palm blossoms) carriers and a busload of relatives and friends.

The mak andam (beautician) as well as members of the bride`s family will waylay the groom and ask for an `entrance fee`. Only when they are satisfied with the amount would they allow the groom to see his bride. After successfully overcoming the `obstacles`, the ceremony takes place. Relatives will sprinkle petals and rice (fertility symbols) on the couple seated on the `throne`.

Today, most of these customs are dispensed with. Indeed the practising adherents of Islam will shun these unislamic practices. These include the wanton display of the bride to members of the opposite sex who are not her family members, playing of loud music and intermingling of the different sexes during the meal.

Source: www.themuslimweekly.com (16 Juli 2007)

Battle to Judge Fluency in Malay

2011-08-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Sinaran Mas School students showcased their command of Malay language during the finals of a Pantun competition, organised by the school recently.

The event saw 18 finalists from kindergarten and primary one battling it out for the top spots.

In the kindergarten one category, the first place went to Nur Haziqah Qahirah bte Hamhusainie, while first and second runners-up were Chua Seow Wei and Nur Hidayah Farzana Aliyah bte Mohd Taip.

In the kindergarten two category, Rosabella Shakila Lee bte Muhd Roland snatched the top spot, followed by Muhd Deen Danyel bin Zulkifli and Ma Jan Alexa Roxas Marcelo.

Meanwhile, in the primary one category, the winner was Rosabel Syazwani Lee bte Muhd Roland, followed by Damond Chung Kai Xiang and Chu Sae Chiau.

Source: www.brunei-online.com (16 Juli 2007)

Three-Legged Tiger Spotted in Sumatra

2011-08-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

A camera trap inside an Indonesian national park has photographed a three-legged Sumatran tiger that lost the lower half of its right front leg to escape a snare.

Sumatran tigers are the most critically endangered tiger subspecies in the world, with fewer than 400 individuals left in the wild.

A total of four photographs, taken in March and May of this year inside Tesso Nilo National Park in central Sumatra, show a male tiger that appears to be in good physical condition other than the missing paw, said Sunarto, a tiger biologist in Riau with the World Wildlife Fund, which funded the camera trap and related research.

Like many Indonesians who belong to the Javanese ethnic group, Sunarto goes by a single name.

The tiger is probably the same individual reported caught in a snare in November 2006 and that somehow scratched or cut off its own paw to escape, leaving part of its leg in the snare, Sunarto said.

"It`s particularly upsetting that this happened inside a national park, where tigers are supposed to enjoy protection," he said in a prepared statement. "This tiger looks like he`s in good condition, but his future is uncertain. The Sumatran tiger is at such low levels, we can`t afford to lose even one individual to a snare."

Sumatran tigers are only found on that island, where they have been hunted for the black market. Their habitat is being lost to agricultural and logging operations. They also are threatened by snares set by poachers.

Since 2005, WWF and Tesso Nilo National Park and other antipoaching officials have confiscated at least 101 snares, 75 of them inside the protected areas of the park and Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve. Of the 101 snares, 23 were identified as targeting tigers.

The rest were set to control pests or catch bushmeat in the form of wild boar, muntjac and sambar deer and sunbears.

The antipoaching effort tries various methods to urge people to stop using snares and to educate them on the risks of such practices.

"The use of snares is not only threatening the remaining tiger population, it also leads to a bigger problem: human-tiger conflict," said Sunarto, leader of the antipoaching team. "When a tiger is sick or crippled, its ability to hunt and catch natural prey is reduced significantly. As a result, such tigers search for food in nearby villages, attacking livestock or even people."

Source: www.foxnews.com (16 Juli 2007)

Johan Jaafar: The Dirge is Playing, Lamenting Death of Sandiwara

2011-08-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

I AM sure many of you have heard of Bangsawan, the eatrical genre known as Malay opera.

But very few have heard of Sandiwara, supposedly the transitional genre that emerged after the demise of Bangsawan and before the rise of modern Malay plays.

Perhaps it was best remembered as an "alternative" to the lavish and extravagant nature of Bangsawan. While Bangsawan was largely mimicking Western-style operas, Sandiwara was largely influenced by Indonesian theatre groups.

Back in the 1930s, when Bangsawan was a great hit among the local populace, Indonesian drama groups came to perform a different genre altogether. Contrary to Bangsawan`s opulent style, these groups staged simple plays based on local and contemporary issues. The more famous groups were Miss Ribut, Dardanella and Bolero.

On the eve of World War Two, the legendary Anjar Asmara group came to Malaya. They were not able to compete with Bangsawan in terms of popularity. Bangsawan was entrenched among the Malays. The actors and actresses were the best in the business.

The "Orang Muda" (those playing heroes) and "Seri Panggung" (heroines) had massive followings. They were more famous than the stars of the fledgling Malay cinema. Bangsawan was the craze of the time. But the drama troupes from Indonesia presented the audience with a new potential — plays that were relevant and rooted in reality, unlike the world of princes and princesses or the courts and kayangan of the Bangsawan.

It was only much later that a genre was born, based on the Indonesian theatre model and rooted in the quest for more contemporary plays. Sandiwara, of course, had its beginning earlier than the 1950s. Many believe that since as early as the 1930s there have been attempts at "modernising" Malay plays. But it was only after World War Two, as the Bangsawan influence dwindled, that Sandiwara as a form began to make its mark.

The legendary Za`ba (Zainal Abidin Ahmad) wrote that there had been practically no drama written or published before World War Two, despite the popularity of the Bangsawan shows among the Malays of "the less cultured classes".

Bangsawan did not use scripts. The actors needed only a storyline to carry them through the entire performance. Little wonder the first published Malay drama, Megat Terawis, was written in 1951.

Za`ba, who was better known as a nationalist, thinker and linguist, apparently was following the development of Malay plays, particularly the Bangsawan. He was harsh in his assessment of the genre. He was particularly piqued by Bangsawan`s obsession with "fables and fantasy stories which make little sense to the people of today".

Za`ba was more of a believer in "realistic" plays and argued the case for modernising Malay plays. He didn`t just preach, he translated many plays from English and Arabic to prove his point. It was probably his critique of Bangsawan and the influence of Bolero, Anjar Asmara and the like, that created Sandiwara. Dr Abdul Rahman Napiah, or "Mana Sikana", in his book on Malay drama pointed to Shahrom Hussain`s Pembelot as the first Sandiwara play. It was performed in 1930 on a Bangsawan stage and acted by mostly Bangsawan actors.

But it was not a Bangsawan play. It was staged at Kampung Peserai, near Batu Pahat, Johor. The response to such drama masyarakat (literally, a play about the people) was overwhelming. He staged another play, Anak Setia, in the same year, and later Nasib Si Buta.

It is interesting to place the first written script in Malay. While researchers agree that the first published play was Megat Terawis, the first scripted Malay play was still a contentious issue. It was probably Pembelot, for Shahrom was a teacher who was capable of writing a script.

Shahrom was hailed as the "Father of Sandiwara". He was better known for writing Si Bongkok Tanjung Puteri in 1956. But he had been writing plays since the 1930s. There were others like him who wrote Sandiwara plays — Syed Alwi Alhady and Kalam Hamidi to name a few.

There is another twist to Sandiwara lore. Its popularity transcended the stage. There was "Sandiwara Radio" on air. Perhaps, the notion of Sandiwara as contemporary theatre made radio producers adapt the concept for radio. But Sandiwara can be period plays, too, like Shahrom`s Si Bongkok Tanjung Puteri, Wak Cantuk or Lembing Awang Pulang ke Dayang.

Perhaps there is no hard and fast rule in defining Sandiwara or to differentiate it from drama moden, or modern plays. Some argued that it was Mustafa Kamal Yassin ("Kala Dewata") who started "realistic plays" ("realism plays", some would label them) with his Atap Genting Atap Rumbia.

The 1960s was when Usman Awang (better known as "Tongkat Warrant"), Awang Had Salleh and A. Samad Said came out with their own plays. They reigned supreme until the "absurdists" came into the picture in the form of Nordin Hassan, Dinsman, Hatta Azad and this scribe.

My Kotaku Oh Kotaku and Angin Kering were lumped together with Nordin`s Bukan Lalang Ditiup Angin, Dinsman`s Bukan Bunuh Diri and Hatta`s Kerusi as "experimental plays" heralding an absurdist influence on local dramas. Well, that`s another story.

I was introduced to Sandiwara back in the 1960s. When Bintang Timur Opera, the Bangsawan troupe belonging to Bakar M, went bust in my kampung, Sungai Balang Besar, Muar in 1965, many of the materials collected over the years were left behind. Some of these props were salvaged by a teacher, Misdi Abu Bakar.

He started a Sandiwara group known locally as Badan Bistari. I was involved very much later, writing scripts for them and later acting in some of the plays. Sandiwara, too, was waning in popularity at the time. Television had come to the kampung and people shunned the stage.

Perhaps Sandiwara did not enjoy the glamour of Bangsawan, the popularity of the "realist" playwrights, or the attention of the experimental dramatists of the 1970s. But the Sandiwara marked the emergence of "the thinking class" in Malay drama productions. Many of them were teachers. Unlike the Bangsawan, the scripted plays of Sandiwara set a new standard for stage plays in the country. Sadly, too little is known about the genre today. There have been many attempts to revive Bangsawan, yet nothing is done for the lost genre of Sandiwara.

Source: www.nst.com (16 Juli 2007)

Handicraft From Three Countries At Exhibition

2011-08-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur - Handicraft products from three countries -- Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei -- will be exhibited at the fifth Malay Archipelago Handicraft Promotion at the Handicraft Complex in Jalan Conlay here for five days from July 26.

The promotion will bring together the handicraft products from the Malay archipelago as a source of information and inspiration to all, said Kraftangan Malaysia`s Principal Assistant Director of Public Relations Faezah Abd Aziz.

She said the promotion, carrying the theme "Handicraft - A Malay Achipelago Heritage", would see the gathering of 160 entrepreneurs to exchange information on handicraft, art, culture and promotion.

Various marketing activities would also be held, she said in a statement today.

Details can be obtained from the secretariat at 03-2162 7459.

Source: www.bernama.com (16 Juli 2007)

Indonesian Art: The Undercutting Edge

2011-08-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

The soaring value of contemporary Chinese and Vietnamese art has been one of the art world`s most widely documented phenomena of recent years. But if you`re a would-be collector who feels priced out of the market, is there anywhere else to look? Try Indonesia. The archipelago`s artists represent extraordinary value in comparison to the record-breaking sums trading hands at Asian art auctions these days. And they`re talented too. "Contemporary Indonesian art is now on the map," says Deborah Iskandar, Christie`s representative in Indonesia.

Pricing aside, why has the country`s art output suddenly become so attractive? There hasn`t been an explosion of art colleges; nor has the country been seized with the kind of sweeping social movement that inspires fresh outbursts of radical art. Instead, experts cite external influences. "Artists are better because they are more exposed to international art," explains Amir Sidharta of Sidharta Auctioneer.

"Traveling abroad has helped many Indonesian artists develop their identities and own way of painting." The resulting work appeals to both domestic collectors in search of something new, and overseas buyers seeking work with reference points they understand. Some collectors are even paying for artists to go on European museum trips because it allows the artists to experience art more viscerally than they would through books or the Internet.

One of the scene`s rising stars is Balinese artist Dewa Gede Ratayoga. At the 27-year-old`s first show, held in Jakarta`s Ark Galerie last April, all of the giant hyper-realist canvases were sold by the end of the opening night, some for as much as $5,000. By international reckoning this was a small sum, but by Indonesian standards it was an extraordinary haul by a young unknown. "This is the beginning of a new trend," says Bruce Wallace, chief representative in Indonesia of UBS, the bank that helped sponsor the show. "When quality comes on the market people don`t waste time."

Even more in demand is the Kelompok Jendela, or Window Group, from Yogyakarta. It has taken the auction world by storm, with works by Rudi Mantofani, Yunizar and Handiwirman Sahputra leading the way (Yunizar and Handiwirman`s paintings have sold for over $50,000). According to Deddy Kusuma, owner of one of Indonesia`s largest collections, some works by the group have appreciated by 10 times in the past year alone. Established painters are also benefiting from the surging interest. Nasirun, a well-known but reclusive 42-year-old painter in Bantul, Central Java, is currently selling paintings to overseas collectors sight unseen—such is the demand for his work.

The only thing missing from this vision of promise for Indonesian artists is official backing. "We don`t get any support," complains sculptor Iriantine Karnaya. "There is no shortage of creativity in this country but we need the means and resources to develop it." One of those resources would be a national museum of contemporary art, which Indonesia currently lacks, forcing private collectors to fill the void. Travel-industry magnate Rudy Akili recently built the three-story Akili Museum in West Jakarta to house his own vast collection of Indonesian masters. "I wanted to make my collection visible to the public," says Akili. "But there are no appropriate places to make donations so I decided to build my own museum." (It`s open by appointment.) Jim Supangkat, a Jakarta-based curator, adds that the shortage of academic opportunities for art-minded Indonesians is responsible for a lack of cohesion in the art scene. "One of the reasons Indonesian painters do not command the same prices as their Chinese counterparts is due to the absence of art criticism and proper discourse," he says.

For now, though, there`s certainly no shortage of buyer interest. Indonesian artists may not yet be selling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—but that, say experts, is the point. "Now is the time to jump in," suggests Iskandar from Christie`s. "Indonesian art is so cheap you can`t lose on it." It`s the kind of advice any collector loves to hear.

Source: www.time.com (16 Juli 2007)

`Asam Jawa`: Bitter and Refreshing

2011-08-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

In Bahasa Indonesia tamarind is called asam jawa. Actually, besides the tamarind trees producing sour fruits, trees producing sweet fruits of the asam jawa, or Tamarindus Indica Linn, exist. But the main connotation of the asam jawa tree is having sour fruits.

These trees are now seldom seen along the main roads in big cities in Indonesia. Because being able to grow as high as 25 meters with a dense foliage, they are regarded to be dangerous for the heavy traffic flowing underneath as the branches grow over the road.

Though souring agents from fruits are many in Indonesia and differ from region to region, the asam jawa is one of the most used in may regions.

In Sumatra there is asam sunti originating from the sun-dried belimbing sayur or sour fruit.

As the asam jawa fruits deteriorate quickly, they will be already be properly packed when sold in supermarkets and traditional markets, though in traditional markets in small villages the tamarind pulp is still sold in a large container so that the buyer can take as many as he needs and pack them himself.

The common preparation of the asam jawa is called asam kawak. Kawak means old, so that literally asam kawak means tamarind fruits which have been harvested some time ago.

One of the methods of preserving is first discarding the pit and fibers and then sun-drying the fruit flesh. Then some salt and gula jawa are added, mixed thoroughly and steamed and cooled before packaging to avoid dirt.

And even prepared like that the tamarind has to be stored in a cool place. One of the islands renowned for its excellent tamarind is Madura, a small island off the eastern coast of Java.

A spice mixture in Indonesia where tamarind is one of the main ingredients, to give a dish that tangy sourness, is called bumbu asam garam and consists of salt, granulated sugar and tamarind paste.

Chicken, beef, water buffalo or pork can be the main ingredients. And in many kitchens in Southeast Asia -- with Portuguese or Chinese overtones -- the tamarind also plays an important role, because of their liking for sourish flavors. An example in some of the tamarind-spiced dishes in Singapore using a lot of tamarind powder.

The very distinctive flavor of tamarind can be added to many vegetables too. One of Indonesia`s best known sour-flavored soupy dishes hails from the kitchen of the Sundanese of West Java.

The dish is called sayur asam and is mostly served with a combination of a barbecued or fried chicken or fish, and also a small portion of fried salted fish, lalap, cruditees.

Spicing of the refreshing soup includes shallots, garlic, some red chilies, salam leaves, galangal and, of course, the tamarind water or paste which is added when the dish is nearly finished.

The East Javanese will add a handful of sinom (young light green colored, tender leaves of the asam jawa tree).

In Indonesia a tamarind tree is a multipurpose one.

The stem, leaves and fruits are very often used, not only for food but also for beverages and as an important souring agent in jamu, or traditional medicine.

The fruit flesh is also daily needed for syrups and to make preserved sweets or chutney-like pastes. There are also very specific regional foodstuffs made of the asam jawa.

In Weru, near Cirebon, they make a special dodol asem out of the fruit flesh. Made from the asam jawa pulp, fermented rice, or tapai nasi, and brown sugar, it is then cooked until thickened and cut into small pieces.

As asam jawa grows all over the archipelago, it has many regional names. For example in East, Central and West Java it is called asem. In Madura, acem (achem), celagi (chelagee) in Bali and camba (chambaa) in Makasar.

RECIPES

1. Sop Asam Jawa

A tamarind soup for hot and humid days

Ingredients:

200 g chicken breast, cut in cubes

100 g carrots, peeled, cut in cubes

50 g French beans, cut into 2 cm pieces

100 g potatoes, peeled, cubed

4 shallots

A slice of fresh ginger, pounded

1 « tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp ground pepper

800 ml water

100 asam jawa fruit flesh

200 ml boiled water

100 g soun (glass noodles), soaked in 200 ml boiling water until tender, sieved

2 tbs selederi (local celery leaves), chopped

2 tbs bawang goreng (crisply fried shallot slices)

Method:

Make a paste of shallots, ginger, salt and pepper. Add water and bring to the boil.

Add chicken, carrots, French beans and potatoes. Continue until all ingredients are tender.

Take the vegetables out of the broth, finely blend and return to broth.

Mix asam jawa with boiled water, sieve and add to the broth and bring to the boil again.

Before serving add glass noodles and top with chopped local celery leaves and fried shallot slices.

Makes: 6 servings.

2. Asam-asam Serut

A good combination of tamarind and agar-agar

Ingredients:

50 g asam jawa

400 ml water

2 sachets brown-colored agar-agar (traditional market, supermarket)

75 g granulated sugar

200 ml coco pandan syrup or a green colored syrup to your liking

200 ml boiled water

Ice cubes

Method:

Mix asam jawa and water, sieve.

Bring asam jawa, agar-agar and sugar to the boil.

Take a suitable pudding form and moisten with boiled water.

Pour in agar-agar mixture and let cool and harden. Then coarsely grate.

Take a suitable glass and put 3 tbs shredded agar-agar and pour in syrup to your liking.

Top with some ice cubes.

Makes: 4 servings

3. Goreng Asam Garam

Ingredients:

500 g crab, cleaned, halved, set aside

500 g squid, thin outer peel and ink bag discarded

500 g medium sized shrimp, peeled, but do not remove tail

2 tsp salt or to taste

3 tbs tamarind, liquidized with 150 ml water, sieved

2 tsp ground pepper or to taste

400 ml cooking oil, for frying

Sambal:

6 shallots

1 clove garlic

4 red chilies, 40 g 1 tsp salt, 4 g or to taste

8 kemangi leaves (sweet basil)

3 tbs tamarind, liquidized with 150 ml water, sieved

1 tbs lime juice

Method:

Coat crab meat, squid, shrimp with salt, tamarind liquid and ground pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes and fry them alternately until done.

Make a paste of shallots, garlic, red chilies, salt and kemangi leaves.

Add tamarind liquid and lime juice.

Serve the sambal in a separate small bowl to serve to your liking.

Makes: 4 servings.

4. Air Asam

Looking for a special welcome drink?

Try this easy to make air asam, or tamarind water

Ingredients:

500 ml water

40 g asam jawa

75 g gula jawa (brown sugar)

200 nata de coco

Ice cubes

Method:

Bring water, tamarind and brown sugar to the boil and sieve. Let thoroughly cool.

Take a suitable glass and put 2 tbs nata de coco in and pour in air asam.

Serve with ice cubes to your liking.

Makes: 2-3 servings

5. Tongkol Kuah Pedas

For chili aficionados a tuna with a hot, spicy sauce

Ingredients:

500 g ikan tongkol (medium sized tuna), cleaned, cut in 3 pieces

2 tbs tamarind, liquidized with 100 ml water, sieved

1 tsp salt or to taste

5 shallots

2 cloves garlic

5 red chilies, 50 g

5 cabai rawit (small-sized strong chili)

3 roasted kemiri (candlenuts)

A slice of fresh turmeric

A slice of fresh ginger

2 tbs cooking oil, for stir-frying

A slice of fresh galangal, pound

2 stalks lemon grass, 25 cm each, pound

2 salam leaves

4 limau lime leaves

A turmeric leaf (optional)

300 ml thick coconut milk

1 red tomato, cut into 5 parts

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp brown sugar

Method:

Coat the fish with tamarind water and salt and let stand for 15 minutes.

Make a paste of shallots, garlic and red chilies, cabe rawit and candlenuts.

Stir-fry until aromatic, add galangal, lemon grass, salam leaves, limau lime leaves, and turmeric leaf. Pour in coconut milk. Bring to the boil while stirring to avoid curdling.

Add the tuna, tomato and season with salt and brown sugar. Lower flame and continue until sauce is somewhat thickened.

Makes: 4 servings

Source: www.thejakartapost.com (16 Juli 2007)

Magic of Metal: Spiritual and Physical Powers of The Kris

2011-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a traffic sign warning drivers of a narrow winding road, but a rather inadequate description of the kris, the traditional Indonesian dagger.

Whether created by human hands or of supernatural origin, krises are believed to be physical manifestations of invisible forces. Forged in fire but symbolic of water, a kris represents a powerful union of cosmic complementary forces.

A distinctive feature of many krises is their odd number of curves, but they also have straight blades. Krises are like naga water-serpents that are associated with irrigation canals, rivers, springs, wells, spouts, waterfalls and rainbows.

Some krises have a naga head carved near their base with the body and tail following the curves of the blade to the tip. A wavy kris is a naga in motion, aggressive and alive; a straight blade is one at rest, its power dormant but ready to come into action.

Different types of whetstones, acidic juice of citrus fruits and poisonous arsenic, bring out the contrast between the dark black iron and the light-colored silvery nickel layers that together form pamor, damascene patterns on the blade.

These motifs have specific names that indicate their special powers: udan mas (golden rain) is good for prosperity, wos wetah (unbroken rice grains) brings well-being.

Three fingers remaining helps in making decisions; two fingers left are good for spiritual purposes. One-and-a-half fingers left repel disaster and black magic; one finger remaining is suitable for agricultural prosperity.

Half a finger left is useful for thieves; no finger remaining is good for making proposals. What`s going on here? Cutting off fingers for punishment?

No, by measuring a kris from base to tip with four fingers of each hand alternating, the remaining length indicates how the kris is beneficial.

The kris is an important family possession and considered to be an ancestral deity, as weapons often play critical roles in the rise and fall of families and fortunes in history.

Heirloom krises have proper names that describe their power: Ki Sudamala is Venerable Exorcist and repels negative forces, Ki Baju Rante is Venerable Coat of Armor and spiritually protects one wearing it.

In Bali, an heirloom kris and other such metal objects are presented offerings every 210 days on the day known as Tumpek Landep, which means "sharp".

They are cleaned, displayed in temple shrines, and presented with incense, holy water, and red-colored food and flowers to honor Hindu god of fire Brahma.

This is followed by prayers for a sharp mind to Sanghyang Pasupati, the deity who empowers sacred objects and defeats ignorance.

Motorbikes and cars, modern metallic symbols of power and status, are also presented with offerings because they can bring fortune or mishap.

Some Balinese jokingly call this day Tumpek Honda or Tumpek BMW, depending on what they can afford to own. With palm-leaf ornaments flying up against windshields and rear-view mirrors, however, one wonders about the safety of this practice.

While the scabbard and hilt of the sheath may be made of rare wood or ivory and adorned with precious metals and fine gemstones, the most important part is the blade.

Forces emanating from the dagger are kept under control by the sheath, which also protects the blade. A cloth bag roughly in the form of a large kris in its sheath, sometimes made of magically protective black-and-white checkered kain poleng cloth, further shields against dust and damage.

A blacksmith is known as a pande, the same as the Indonesian word pandai meaning "skilled and clever", as anyone who works with metals must be. The word empu is used for someone with a very high level of knowledge: sri empu is a high priest, empu keris is a highly skilled person who makes daggers.

More than just weapons, in November 2005 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Indonesian kris a great cultural achievement of world humanity.

In September 2006, the Pura Penataran Pande Peliatan blacksmith clan temple south of Ubud held a huge rededication ceremony. For this, its members had a new Balinese kris made.

During a ritual forging of the blade in June, men took turns hammering the red-hot metal at the home of the temple`s priest. Around this time Suteja Neka, the senior person overseeing the ceremonies, became fascinated by krises and began learning as much as he could about them.

But things did not stop there, for Neka soon started to collect krises. He went to antique shops, visited collectors, attended exhibitions and contacted organizations.

When the news spread, people from Bali, Java and Madura brought old and new krises to Neka for him to examine and perhaps add to his collection.

He also sought out handles, scabbards and sheaths along with those who made them, becoming a full patron of all the arts connected with the kris.

The exhibition, Keris in Culture: Traditional Daggers in the Arts, featuring Suteja Neka`s personal collection, will be officially opened and recognized as a permanent part of the Neka Art Museum by State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik on July 22 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the museum, which was founded by Suteja Neka.

Paintings with krises in them will also be displayed along with photographs of krises in Balinese rituals, dances and costumes.

The krises will be housed in a new two-story room at the Neka Art Museum to complement the artworks on display.

Source: www.thejakartapost.com (16 Juli 2007)

Zimbabwe: Indonesia Ceremonial, Wedding And Casual Attire On Display At Gallery

2011-08-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Dressing for some is a matter of identity and national pride while for others it`s an art.

But for some Indonesians, dressing is a matter of both national pride and art as evidenced by the exhibition running at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe where ceremonial, wedding and casual attire are on display.

Dominating the exhibition are items made from the Songket -- a hand-woven silk or cotton fabric that is intricately patterned with gold or silver threads.

Songket weaving is historically associated with areas of Malay settlement and it is thought Arab and Indian merchants could have introduced the production techniques.

Historically, production was located in politically significant kingdoms because of the high cost of materials, the gold thread used was originally made of real gold.

The metallic threads stand out on the background cloth to create a shimmering effect.

In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft threads of the main background cloth.

The Songket that belongs to the brocade family of textiles comes from the Malay word "menyongket", which means "to embroider with gold or silver threads".

In Malaysia the fabric, a proud legacy of the Kelantan and Pattani courts, is known as the "cloth of gold".

It`s produced in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Bali, Sulawesi, Lombok and Sumbawa.

Outside of Indonesia production areas include the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula and Brunei.

This is the material used in making beautiful shoulder drops, ladies` scarves and wrap around for both men and women.

Batik is another prominent fabric used on a number of garments on display. The word batik is thought to have been derived from the word "ambatik", which translated means "a cloth with little dots".

The suffix "tik" means little dot, drop, point or to make dots. Batik may also originate from the Javanese word "tritik" which describes a resist process for dyeing where the patterns are reserved on the textiles by tying and sewing areas prior to dyeing, similar to tie and dye techniques.

Another Javanese phase for the mystical experience of making batik is "mbatik manah" which means "drawing a batik design on the heart".

Although experts disagree as to the precise origins of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1500 years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Samples have also been found in Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa from past centuries.

While in these countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.

Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. Its royal nature was clear as certain patterns were reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan`s palace.

Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design sense evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application.

Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who worked under their supervision.

Traditional colours for Central Javanese batik were made from natural ingredients and consisted primarily of beige, blue, brown and black.

The oldest colour used in traditional batik making was blue. The colour was made from the leaves of the Indigo plant.

The leaves were mixed with molasses, sugar and lime and left to stand overnight. Sometimes sap from the Tinggi tree was added to act as a fixing agent. Lighter blue was achieved by leaving the cloth in the dye bath for short periods of time. For darker colours, the cloth would be left in the dye bath for days and may have been submerged up to eight to 10 times a day.

In traditional batik, the second colour applied was a brown colour called soga. The colour could range from light yellow to a dark brown. The dye came from the bark of the Soga tree. Another colour that was traditionally used was a dark red colour called mengkuda. This dye was created from the leaves of the Morinda citrifolia.

The final hue depended on how long the cloth was soaked in the dye bath and how often it was dipped. Skilled artisans can create many variations of these traditional colours. Aside from blue, green would be achieved by mixing blue with yellow; purple was obtained by mixing blue and red. The soga brown colour mixed with indigo would produce a dark blue-black colour.

On display at the gallery are lovely garments in brown and gold made from modern batik and classic. These are used in making wedding attire for both the bride and the groom. The same material has also been used in making wrap around for both men and women.

Ikat is another fabric used in making wedding gowns, ceremonial attire and men`s wrap around. The fabric is produced in India and South East Asia from the Patola cloth -- a double ikat from Gujarat, western India -- and was exported to Indonesia for the use of the royal families.

The patterns in the Patola Ikats are strikingly similar to the double ikats produced in Bali, Indonesia. Ancient trading routes linked India and South East Asia and also linked Central Asia with India.

Because woven fabric rarely survives for more than a few centuries it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine where the technique of Ikat originated. It probably developed in several different locations independently with Ikat known to have been produced in several pre-Columbian Central and South American cultures.

Source: www.alafrica.com (16 Juli 2007)

Observe MIB and Cherish Your Sovereign`

2011-08-03T20:48:00.001-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Yesterday Friday prayers‘sermon called for Bruneians to take a moment to appreciate the presence of the Malay Muslim Monarchy (MIB) philosophy, which recommends a way of life based on Malay culture and founded in the country‘s official religion, Islam.

The nuance of Islam widely practiced in this country is that of the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah faith, after the Mazhab Shafie, which asks that its followers lead a wholesome, quality life, and that the sovereign is recognised as the highest authority in the country.

Citizens should offer their undivided loyalty to their monarch, a behaviour which should not be forced. They should realise that their dedication to their ruler is compulsory, so long as his command is well-intended and does not clash with the teachings of Islam.

The sermon, read in mosques and suraus throughout the nation, also called for Bruneian society to bear in mind that His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has placed the welfare of the nation ahead of everything else in his decisions, and that he is committed to his duties, just in making his judgements, and that Islam guides him in his administration of the country. By observing the Malay Muslim Monarchy philosophy, our country is unique.

The task of ruling a nation is impossible to shoulder alone. It requires support, involvement and sacrifices from all parties especially public servants, who have been recruited to help the government to manage and develop the country.

For the nation to progress, government personnel should be committed to carrying out their entrusted duties, and be efficient workers who swear by the personal qualities of being honest, sincere, loyal and responsible. Good Islamic practice dictates that fulfilling tasks and responsibilities is compulsory, and Allah SWT will reward those who do so with honesty and sincerity.

His Majesty has expressed in a previous titah his wish to have a system of administration which is efficient, honest and sincere, which he added could only be achieved if every government servant did their jobs professionally with honesty and sincerity.

The sermon also reminds Bruneians that any national developments so far is owed to the leadership and intelligence of our ruler, coupled with the support of all parties, be they public or private organisations. Because of His Majesty‘s leadership since 1967, the nation enjoyed much peace and political stability as well as a strong economy, and the standard of living has been raised to be comparable with that of other countries.

Therefore it is requested that Bruneian Muslims attend mass prayers this evening at mosques, suraus and prayer halls all over the country, to celebrate the 61st birthday of His Majesty on July 15.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (16 Juli 2007)

Penulis Dunia ’Banjiri’ Makassar

2011-08-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Makassar, Sulsel - Sejumlah penulis dan penyair dunia dari berbagai negara bakal meramaikan Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF) 2011 yang diselenggarakan Rumah Seni Rumata’, pada 13-17 Juni mendatang. Para penulis itu berasal dari Belanda, Turki, Mesir, Amerika Serikat, Australia, dan Indonesia.

Direktur MIWF 2011, Lily Yulianti Farid, menjelaskan festival ini dirancang dalam format diskusi, tur dengan penulis, peluncuran buku, dan talkshow interaktif yang melibatkan penonton.

“MIWF 2011 akan berkolaborasi dengan Penulis Den Haag, Belanda, sebagai mitra utama untuk membawa penulis asing ke Makassar tahun ini,” katanya.

Lily mengungkapkan festival yang pertama kalinya digelar ini, ditekankan pada kegiatan yang sepenuhnya bermanfaat bagi masyarakat Makassar, yaitu menumbuhkan minat baca dan apresiasi masyarakat terhadap sastra dan seni sastra lainnya.

Beberapa penulis asing yang akan hadir, kata Lily, adalah Rodaan Al Galiidi, penyair Irak- Belanda yang sudah memiliki banyak penggemar dan proyek-proyek pribadinya, seperti “Entertaining People Through Poetry”, penulis Ethiopia yang saat ini berada di Amerika Serikat, Maaza Mengiste atau yang dijuluki “The Young Idol in Literature”.

Dari Mesir, ucap Lily, Abeer Soliman, blogger dan pendongeng terbaik di negaranya, dan Gunduz Vassaf, kolumnis terkenal dari Turki. deNeefe penulis Janet Australia yang tinggal di Ubud, juga dikenal sebagai ahli kuliner akan membuat penampilan khusus di Makassar menggabungkan hidangan ikan dengan literatur dalam perjamuan yang diselenggarakan oleh Djuku Resto dan Café.

“Dari Makassar, tim kurator diketuai oleh penyair / penulis M. Aan Mansyur dan telah memilih empat penulis sebagai peserta dalam festival ini. Yaitu penyair dan sutradara teater Shinta Febriany, penyair Hendra Gunawan ST, dan dua penulis muda Erni Aladjai dan Hamran Sunu,” ujarnya.

Selain keempat penulis terpilih, para penulis dan seluruh komunitas sastra di Makassar akan berpartisipasi dalam berbagai kegiatan dalam empat hari, yang meliputi “Sastra di Udara”, “Penyair vs Politikus yang akan bermain dengan Kata”, “Untuk Menjadi Penulis di Era Baru“ dan banyak lagi.

Sementara itu, Pendiri dan Direktur Rumah Seni Rumata, Riri Riza, mengatakan, MIWF 2011 akan menjadi embrio untuk masa depan Rumata dalam berbagai kegiatan.

“Visi kami adalah untuk mengubah Makassar menjadi pusat berbagai kegiatan seni budaya dan sastra. Kami akan terus mengembangkan konsep format festival, tidak hanya dalam bidang sastra, tetapi juga di bioskop, musik, dan usaha kreatif lainnya,” ucap Riri Riza.

Rumata ‘adalah Rumah Seni yang didirikan Riri dan Lily sejak tahun 2010 lalu. Rumata terletak di rumah Riri Riza selama masa kecilnya di Jalan, Bontompo 12 Gunung Sari, Makassar. Tahap pertama dari perkembangannya saat ini berlangsung dengan dukungan kolektif dari berbagai pihak yang berbagi visi yang sama untuk mengembangkan seni dan budaya di Makassar.

“Kami sedang mengumpulkan dana untuk mengembangkan fasilitas di Rumata ‘dan melalui festival ini kita berharap dapat membuat presentasi untuk menarik lebih banyak penggemar,” tutup Riri.

Sumber: http://www.ujungpandangekspres.com

Proto Melayu Kerinci Mulai Tergerus

2011-08-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Jambi - Kalangan seniman dan budayawan dari Dewan Kesenian Jambi menilai, semenjak bergulirnya era reformasi keberadaan kebudayaan dan kesenian warisan Proto-Melayu di Kerinci terlihat kian tergerus dan dikuatirkan punah.

"Entah kenapa dalam pengamatan kita, dalam satu dasawarsa belakangan ini produk-produk masa lampau Proto-Melayu di Kerinci yang dulunya lestari, pascareformasi justeru kian tergerus dan perlahan menghilang keberadaannya di tengah masyarakat," kata seniman Ary Mhs Ce’gu yang sekaligus Sekjen Dewan Kesenian Jambi (DKJ) di Jambi, Minggu.

Menurut dia, tidak saja pengaruh keterbukaan teknologi media informasi yang menyebabkan gampang masuknya budaya Barat dari luar yang menyebabkan makin tergerusnya budaya Proto-Melayu di Kerinci tersebut, melainkan juga kian berubahnya pola pikir masyarakat setempat dalam memahami ideologi dan paham-paham.

"Paham keagamaan kita lihat sangat besar pengaruhnya saat ini, padahal sedari zaman dulu, masyarakat Kerinci yang 100 persen penganut Islam, itu berhasil tetap mempertahankan budaya-budaya Proto-Melayu mereka khususnya kesenian, tapi kenapa sekarang justeru hal itu tidak lagi terjadi," kata Ary.

Dia melihat, sikap pemerintah daerah setempat saat ini dengan kebijakan-kebijakannya juga sudah bergeser tidak lagi berpihak pada pentingnya penyelamatan produk-produk budaya Melayu.

"Sepertinya, pemda pun kini telah terhasut oleh paham-paham fanatisme agama secara sempit sehingga mereka bersikap antipati terhadap kebudayaan-kebudayaan peninggalan Proto-Melayu yang umumnya memang berbau magis dan ritual purba itu," itu tambahnya.

Sumber: http://oase.kompas.com

Kunjungan Wisman Naik 7,2 Persen

2011-08-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Medan, Sumut - Dibandingkan dengan tahun lalu, kunjungan wisatawan mancanegara ke Indonesia pada Januari hingga April tahun ini naik 7,2 persen dari 2.163.091 orang menjadi 2.323.039 orang. Kenaikan salah satunya terjadi, karena banyak daerah terus melakukan promosi dan kontak bisnis dengan pihak asing sehingga mendongkrak kunjungan secara nasional.

Sekretaris Jendral Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Wardiyatmo, mengatakan hal itu saat membuka Sumatera International Travel Fair (SITF) V di Medan, Sabtu (4/6). "Kami sangat terbantu daerah melakukan kegiatan seperti ini," kata Wardiyatmo.

Di Sumatera Utara, meskipun infrastruktur di Sumatera Utara terus dikeluhkan karena banyaknya jalan yang rusak, wisatawan mancanegara (wisman) yang datang daerah itu melalui Bandara Polonia, Medan, juga terus meningkat, bahkan melebihi angka rata-rata nasional yakni 13,36 persen. Tahun lalu kedatangan wisatawan pada Januari hingga April sebanyak 50.316 orang, tahun ini 57.040 orang.

Target wisatwan mancanegara (wisman) Kemeterian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata tahun ini sebanyak 7,5 juta hingga 7,7 juta orang, setelah tahun lalu mampu menghadirkan wisman sebanyak 7 juta orang dengan pendapatan devisa sebesar 7,6 miliar dollar AS.

Tahun ini SITF lebih mempromosikan mendatangkan wisman untuk menjual wisata alam yang kaya di Pulau Sumatera, namun lebih fokus pada wisatawan MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences,exhibitions) di kota-kota besar di Sumatera.

SITF V mempertemukan lebih dari 100 pengusaha pariwisata dari dalam negeri dengan beberapa negara diantaranya negara-negara Eropa, China, India, Malaysia, dan Thailand. Tercatat sebanyak 124 penjual produk wisata dan 40 pembeli akan bertemu dalam kontak bisnis. Sementara peserta pameran sebanyak 55 anjungan.

"Ini menjadi latihan bagi pelaku wisata dalam negeri untuk menjalin kerjasama dengan pelaku wisata di luar negeri, sebelum mereka berpromosi sendiri ke luar negeri," tutur Wardiyatmo.

Ketua Pelaksana SITF V, Hendry Hutabarat, mengatakan, banyak daerah lain yang sudah mempunyai wisata alam, sehingga SITF kali ini fokus pada MICE. Ia mengakui cukup sulit mengorganisir SITF, namun jika tidak dilakukan pariwisata tidak bisa berkembang.

"Sampai saat ini panitia masih nombok. Namun kami mendorong operator wisata untuk berperan, selain mengundang banyak ahli untuk memberi pelajaran bagi para pelaku wisata di Sumatera," tutur Henry.

Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Sumut, Naruddin Dalimunthe, mengakui infrastruktur di Sumut belum mendukung pariwisata. " Mungkin karena fokus pada pembangunan bidang lain, pariwisata jadi terabaikan, kata Naruddin.

Sumber: http://regional.kompas.com

"Festival Palang Pintu Harus Jadi Event Internasional"

2011-08-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - Dua hari ini warga Betawi kembali dimeriahkan acara Festival Palang Pintu yang dihelat di Jalan Kemang Raya, Mampang Prapatan, Jakarta Selatan. Festival Kemang kali ini mengangkat tema "Festival Palang Pintu Enam dan Gelar Budaya 2011".

Acara rutin tahunan yang dibuka Gubernur DKI Fauzi Bowo pada Sabtu kemarin ini, sore tadi ditutup presenter kawakan, Tantowi Yahya. Dalam sambutannya, Tantowi berharap event tersebut kelak menjadi event bertaraf internasional.

“Bila saya mendapat kesempatan dan kepercayaan untuk memimpin Jakarta tahun depan, saya ingin meningkatkan festival palang pintu ini di tingkat internasional, sehingga festival ini menjadi salah satu agenda kunjungan wisata internasional seperti yang saya pernah kunjungi di berbagai negara,” kata Tantowi di hadapan ratusan pengunjung Festival Palang Pintu, Minggu (5/6/2011).

Menurut dia, festival ini menjadi bukti bahwa masyarakat dan budaya Betawi merupakan etnis yang sangat religius, terbuka, dan egaliter. Betawi, kata Tantowi, merupakan masyarakat yang mampu menerima masyarakat pendatang dari kultur manapun.

“Masyarakat betawi mampu menjadi tuan rumah yang baik. Tuan rumah yang tidak hanya melindungi warganya, tapi tuan rumah yang sangat baik dalam melayani warga pendatang,” tukas Anggota Komisi I DPR ini.

Festival Palang Pintu dinilai sebagai bentuk komitmen yang tinggi dari pemuda betawi untuk menjunjung tinggi warisan dan nilai-nilai kebudayaan Betawi. Karenanya, acara tersebut patut diberi apresiasi tinggi.

“Selain bisa menjadi ajang silaturahmi antar masyakarat, festival ini juga dapat menjadi media pembelajaran bagi siapa pun tentang beragam kebudayaan Betawi yang religius, terbuka, dan egaliter. Sebagai artis, saya pribadi banyak mendapat inspirasi dari tokoh Betawi seperti Benyamin Sueb, Haji Bokir, dan lain-lain,” pungkasnya.

Sumber: http://travel.okezone.com

Wisatawan Malaysia Ke Bali Naik 45,63 Persen

2011-08-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Denpasar, Bali - Wisatawan asal Malaysia ke Bali sebanyak 52.507 orang selama catur wulan I 2011, meningkat 32,95 persen dibanding periode yang sama tahun sebelumnya 39.495 orang.

Mereka sebagian besar datang melalui Bandara Ngurah Rai, Bali dan hanya tiga orang yang lewat pelabuhan laut dengan menumpang kapal pesiar, kata Kepala Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) Provinsi Bali I Gede Suarsa di Denpasar, Senin.

Ia mengatakan, Malaysia menempati peringkat keempat setelah Australia, China dan Jepang dari sepuluh negara terbanyak memasok wisman ke Pulau Dewata. Negeri Jiran itu mampu memberikan kontribusi sebesar 6,19 persen dari total wisman berkunjung ke Bali sebanyak 848.899 orang selama caturwulan I 2011, meningkat 13,37 persen dibanding caturwulan yang sama tahun sebelumnya 748.754 orang.

Gede Suarsa menambahkan, selama 2010 masyarakat Malaysia menikmati keunikan seni budaya dan panorama alam Pulau Dewata sebanyak 156.865 orang, meningkat 16,03 persen dibanding tahun sebelumnya yang tercatat 135190 orang.

Ia menambahkan, dari sepuluh negara terbanyak memasok wisman ke Bali, tujuh negara diantaranya mengalami peningkatan yang cukup signifikan dan tiga negara menunjukkan adanya penurunan.

"Semakin bergairahnya masyarakat internasional berwisata ke Bali, erat kaitannya dengan semakin membaiknya perekonomian dunia, di samping Bali memiliki daya tarik tersendiri dengan keunikan seni budaya dan keindahan panorama alamnya", ujar Gede Suarsa.

Ke tujuh negara yang masyarakatnya semakin senang berliburan ke Bali selain Malaysia juga Australia meningkat 34,92 persen dari 162.082 orang menjadi 210.903 orang, China 0,19 persen dari 71.052 orang menjadi 71.186 orang dan Inggris 46,98 persen dari 21.859 orang menjadi 32.128 orang.

Selain itu wisatawan Rusia ke Bali naik 26,74 persen dari 24.970 orang menjadi 31.646 orang, Singapura 42,99 persen dari 21.095 orang menjadi 30.455 orang dan Prancis 15,15 persen dari 25.095 menjadi 28.897 orang. Sedangkan tiga negara yang masyarakatnya berkurang ke Bali meliputi Jepang 21,81 persen dari 44.085 orang pada caturwulan I-2010 menjadi 64.455 orang periode yang sama 2011. Demikian juga wisatawan Taiwan berkurang 10,51 persen dari 44.085 orang menjadi 39.451 orang dan Korea Selatan turun 1,35 persen dari 37.787 orang menjadi 37.277 orang.

Sumber: http://www.beritadaerah.com

12 Peserta BSBI Pelajari Seni & Tradisi Surabaya

2011-08-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Surabaya, Jatim - Untuk kesekian kalinya, Kota Surabaya dan propinsi Jawa Timur kembali mendapat kehormatan untuk menerima 12 peserta Beasiswa Seni Budaya Indonesia (BSBI), yang dijadwalkan akan belajar seni dan tradisi Kota Surabaya dan Jawa Timur. Ke 12 peserta BSBI tersebut diantaranya berasal dari beberapa negara berbeda diantaranya dari: Jepang, Tiongkok, Suriname, Timor Leste, Solomon, Samoa, Austria, Afrika Selatan dan Italia.

Mereka yang ditempatkan di Surabaya, kata Diaztiarni Azhar pimpinan Pelatihan dan Pengenalan Seni Budaya Jawa Timur, diwajibkan untuk ikut mempelajari berbagai hal tentang seni, tradisi dan budaya Jawa Timur.

“Mereka wajib mempelajari itu. Seni tari, kerajinan tangan, batik, serta budaya keseharian masyarakat Surabaya dan Jawa Timur juga menjadi bagian dari apa yang mereka pelajari,” tutur Diaztiarni.

Seperti tahun sebelumnya, para peserta BSBI nantinya juga diwajibkan untuk menampilkan keterampilan yang mereka pelajari selam amereka tinggal di Kota Surabaya.

Tujuan terpenting dari proses pembelajaran serta pelatihan seni, tradisi dan budaya dalam proses kepesertaan Beasiswa Seni Budaya Indonesia (BSBI) adalah transfer pengetahuan dan pengalaman.

“Bahwa yang terpenting adalah pemahaman tentang betapa negeri ini sangat ramah, punya banyak kesenian, dan kekayaan alam yang indah, adalah bagian terpenting,” kata Diaztiarni Sabtu (4/6/2011).

Sumber: http://kelanakota.suarasurabaya.net

Pra-FKY: Atmosfer Yogyakarta Ditampilkan Sepanjang Malioboro

2011-08-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yogyakarta - Sebanyak 150 seniman dengan mengenakan berbagai macam kostum yang mencerminkan atmosfer kehidupan Yogyakarta ditampilkan di sepanjang Malioboro dalam "performance art" sebelum pembukaan Festival Kesenian Yogyakarta XXIII.

"Biasanya, untuk pembukaan Festival Kesenian Yogyakarta (FKY) dilakukan dengan pawai atau karnaval, tetapi untuk tahun ini, diganti dengan `performance art` sebagai pra pembukaan FKY," kata Ketua III FKY XXIII Ryan Budi Nuryanto di Yogyakarta, Sabtu.

Berbagai karakter dimainkan oleh lebih dari 100 seniman dalam "performance art" tersebut di antaranya adalah tokoh Punakawan, berbagai jenis tumbuhan dan hewan, masyarakat umum, serta berbagai kesenian tradisional seperti jathilan yang dimainkan oleh perempuan.

Seniman-seniman tersebut mengawali "performance art" dari depan Hotel Inna Garuda hingga ke Benteng Vredeburg Yogyakarta dengan berjalan kaki dan berhenti di sejumlah titik, seperti Gedung DPRD DIY, Malioboro Mall, Kepatihan dan Pasar Beringharjo.

Selain itu, tampil pula dua artis yang sudah cukup dikenal oleh masyarakat yaitu Tio Pakusadewo dan Titi Sjuman.

"Kebetulan, keduanya tengah menjalani syuting di Yogyakarta, sehingga kami pun minta mereka untuk mengikuti `performance art` ini, dan keduanya setuju," katanya.

Melalui kegiatan tersebut, Ryan berharap, seniman dapat mengekspresikan kecintaannya pada seni di FKY sekaligus menjadi ajang yang baik dalam melakukan promosi kegiatan tahunan tersebut.

Selain melalui "performance art", Ryan mengatakan, kegiatan promosi FKY XXIII tersebut dilakukan dengan pemasangan sejumlah instalasi seni di lokasi strategis seperti Bandara Adi Sutjipto, Stasiun Tugu dan juga di Malioboro serta 40 simpang empat lain yang tersebar di Yogyakarta.

Kegiatan FKY sendiri akan mulai dilakukan pada 20 Juni hingga 5 Juli, di antaranya adalah pasar seni yang akan menampilkan berbagai produk kerajinan.

"Secara resmi, FKY XXIII rencananya akan dibuka secara langsung oleh Gubernur DIY Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono (HB) X pada 25 Juni," katanya.

Sumber: http://www.antaranews.com

Culture and Adventure

2011-08-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Enchanting moments in The Land Below The Wind come in the form of Nature while JOHN TIONG joins in Sabah Fest to soak in the cultures of the various ethnic groups

AS we blazed our way through north Sabah and Labuan, we were stunned by the breathtaking landscape, the flora and fauna, intriguing cultures and different peoples that made our trip a thrilling experience.

The cultural extravaganza and adventure tour themed Mansau Ansau 3 (or sojourn in Kadazan-Dusun language) was organised by Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with Sabah Fest (May 3-4) and the closing of the Water Festival in Labuan in May.

Sabah Fest offered a rare view of all the ethnic groups of the State and a chance to share their music, songs, dances, arts and crafts.

The trip also took us to remote parts like Sungai Klias at Kuala Penyu where we cruised along the river to look for the elusive proboscis monkey. We looked like wet monkeys ourselves! But the heavy drizzle did not dampen our moods.

At the Celyn Resort Kinabalu in Kundasang, we saw the morning sun light up the peak of Kinabalu. At the same time, the other side of the resort offered a soothing view of the serene valleys of the Crocker Range with farms and houses.

Celyn is a serene sanctuary near interesting tourist spots like the Kundasang War Memorial, Poring Hot Spring Park, Kundasang Butterfly Farm and Poring Canopy Walk.

We were also impressed with the Victorian image Lembah Impian Country Homes, particularly the interior of the two main buildings — The Chimneys and The Pillars.

These feature ornate rooms, luxurious suites, dining and seating halls with classic teak furniture and lots of artistic objects. The walls are tastefully decorated with paintings large and small, many of which are in golden frames. Flowers and serviettes are so tastefully arranged that one wonders whether one is walking in an English palace.

Lembah Impian Country Homes is away from the hustle and bustle of the city in Jalan Putatan-Ramayah, Penampang and only 20 minutes from Kota Kinabalu. Details, visit lembahimpian.com.my or call 088-766 117.

Sungai Klias, Kuala Penyu and Lok Kawi Zoo

Proboscis monkeys swung from branch to branch, occasionally peeking at us as we, in turn, scanned the trees for them. Spotting them was quite easy. There are a healthy number of the monkeys, a sign that conservation work is bearing fruit.

We were told there were crocodiles but perhaps due to increased traffic and noise, these reptiles had gone upriver. Like humans, crocodiles do not like noise and the intrusion into their habitat.

Sungai Klias is twice as wide as Sungai Klang, with coffee-black water and flanked on both sides by thick foliage and undergrowth. Some parts are dotted with budget hotels and restaurants. There is also a jetty with a fleet of motorboats for adventure trips.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park

Those who miss the proboscis monkeys at Sungai Klias can always visit the newly-opened Lok Kawi Wildlife Park along the old Penampang-Papar Road route south of Kota Kinabalu.

The park even uses the monkey as its mascot. Above the entrance is a large, painting of the monkey with its signature pinkish snout.

In their enclosure, the monkeys looked more passive than in the wild. They looked as if they wished they were on the outside. Proboscis monkeys have a wise look, with long pink noses (younger ones have black noses) and almost yellow eyes.

An orang utan did a “Tarzan” swing on a rope suspended between poles in its back-to-nature home while two otters below glided and swam with their bodies bobbing up and down a moat.

A group of gibbons excited us with their single syllable “wok” for several minutes before swinging on a rope to a wooden structure, letting out more frenzied “woks”. They seemed to be responding to the sounds of monkeys from other enclosures. “Welcoming them,” I thought.

A medium-sized clouded leopard was so adorable that we spent almost 10 minutes admiring the spots and dashes on its skin as it slept on a crisscross of branches with its legs and paws dangling.

Some mynahs (burung tiong) had acquired simple English words and used them now and then, surprising tourists. Many visitors encouraged them with short greetings like “Hello”, “Assalamualaikum” and “Selamat Datang”.

One deer surprised us by walking towards the fence to be cuddled. We were sad to see the Sumatran rhinoceros and Malayan tigers looking quite bored. Perhaps with more visitors and children, and with some games, their moods would be lifted.

Children can enjoy elephant rides daily from 10.30am to 11.30am and from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. Borneo Pygmy elephants are an attraction here as are ostriches and sun bears.

The aviary was very impressive. One walked on a wooden walkway to view exotic birds such as egrets, hornbills and pigeons in their almost natural habitat with a stream and cascading water.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park sprawls over 70 hectares of land and costs RM30 million to set up. It is very convenient to watch the animals as the zoo‘s 1.4km pedestrian walkway leads from one section to another with informative signposts.

Tickets cost RM10 for adults and RM5 for children while non-Malaysians pay RM20 and RM10 respectively. It‘s free for citizens aged 60 years and above and the handicapped.

For more information, contact the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park at 088-765710.

Cultural Extravaganza

For the launch of the Sabah Fest on May 4, the walkway leading to the Magellan Grand Ballroom of Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu was lined with dancers representing the many Sabahan ethnic groups.

There were Kadazan-Dusuns, Bajaus, Bruneians and Muruts, all in traditional costumes with beaded headgear, bracelets, beaded necklaces, sarongs, blowpipes, machetes and dance instruments. Every attempt was made to ensure authenticity.

Along the walkway, the various ethnic groups played their musical instruments. There was also a handicraft and textile exhibition cum sale corner where they exhibited their skills at embroidery, weaving and batik painting.

Sabah Fest is celebrated annually in May and coincides with the Tadau Kaamatan (harvest festival) that falls in the last week of the month.

The warm and riotous sounds of gongs, xylophones, angklong, drums, ethnic string and wind instruments fuelled the celebratory mood for launching by Sabah Governor Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah.

The highlight was a 1½-hour cultural performance in the ballroom where the best and rarest of the State‘s music and dance were showcased. The opening was a thunderous affair with 40 musicians playing drums of different shapes and sizes. They played with energy and smiles that charmed the audience.

The gambus, a musical instrument synonymous with Johor Malay music, was given great prominence and served as an eye-opener for music fans. In Sabah, the gambus is associated with the Bruneian community in the west coast between Sipitang and Kota Kinabalu, and predominates in Labuan Federal Territory. The 60-strong orchestra was led by Fauziah Suhaili, the winner of the 2006 Gambus Fest.

Ethnic Dances

The graceful Sumaranun Dance of the Iranun Bajau people of Kota Belud is reminiscent of a classical Chinese dance. The dance was accompanied by drums and traditional gongs such as the bebendir and kulintangan. The female dancers wore perahu-shaped brass headgear with beaded tassels that looked like ancient Chinese headgear.

The night also offered a rare glimpse into the Tamadak dance of the Bongi Dusun people of Banggi Island in Kudat. The rapid movements were performed in dimmed lighting to intensify its significance as a ritual dance to drive out evil spirits from the sick. The real dance is always performed at sundown and must end by sunrise.

The Mengiluk Dance of the Suluk people of Semporna (a kindred group of the Bajau) was very artistic and the women wore ornate, tiara-like headdresses and bright-coloured costumes. Like the Kelantanese mak yong, the dancers wore long “nails” and moved gracefully to catchy tunes usually performed during weddings and other festive occasions. It was one of the more uplifting performances.

The Kadazan-Dusun from the hills and valleys of Tambunan contributed Mongigol Tambunan, a sedate dance with modest movements of stretched hands and physiques.

The Muruts, dressed in headhunters‘ costume with pheasant feathers jutting out of their head gear, cheered up the night with their riveting Magunatip or bamboo dance as well as the more graceful Anggalang performed by the females. In the old days, these were performed after a headhunting expedition.

The evening ended with the audience going on stage to greet the performers and joining in to dance to folk tunes including the delightful Jambatan Tamparuli.

Labuan Water Village

Two striking features of the Patau Patau water village, south of Labuan Town, are the flower gardens and river top pavilion. Some entrances to houses are practically hidden behind pots of colourful flowering plants.

We wondered if the pavilion was used by courting couples as it would be such a romantic setting on a moonlit night, with a cool breeze and the sound of water below.

Patau Patau is one of two water villages in Labuan. The other, Kampung Bebuloh, is home of Labuan‘s sole representative in Akademi Fantasia, Norashikin (Ekin) Abdul Rahman.

One walks on planks to get to houses built on stilts over the water. There are over 100 households with a central mosque and a large grocery store! The villagers, mainly fishermen and government servants, have piped water and flush toilets. Most have television antennas on the roof and the richer households even have Astro dishes.

As we were leaving, we saw children splashing in the water and waving at us - a scene that made us grab our cameras to capture the delightful scene.

Source: www.nst.com.my (12 Juli 2007)

350 New Citizens

2011-08-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

It is not only a momentous day for our new citizens, it is also a momentous day for the nation as each new citizen is capable of contributing to the economy and development of the nation.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdillah bin Haji Abdul Wahab, said this in his speech at the 22nd Certificate of Citizenship Presentation Ceremony held yesterday, where he urged that policy reviews be made to enable more professionals to gain citizenship.

He further encouraged harmony amongst citizens. "Non-Malay citizens should not be discriminated and they have the same rights as any other citizen. Each citizen also needs to support the government efforts and not simply be bystanders as the government attempts to progress."

The 22nd Certificate of Citizenship Presentation Ceremony saw 350 new citizens receiving their certificates; out of which 128 were permanent residents born in Brunei and passed their Malay Language exam, 186 are wives of citizens and 31 were born overseas.

Earlier during the day, the new citizens were briefed by Department of Immigration and National Registration`s senior officers in Citizen Section, Birth and Death Registration Section, Identity Card Section and Passport Section. This was to ensure that all the new citizens are aware of necessary procedures that can be undertaken at the department.

A further briefing was given by Islamic Dakwah Centre, Information Department, Adat Istiadat Department and Universiti Brunei Darussalam, to endow the new citizens with greater understanding of their role and responsibilities as citizens towards developing love and loyalty to the monarchy, people, religion and country, as is characterised by Brunei`s philosophy of Melayu-Islam-Beraja (Malay-Islamic-Monarcy).

"I am very happy to have finally gotten my citizenship," said 67-year-old, Lim Tian Sang, who was born in Brunei.

Said Rozita Junaidi: "Ever since high school I wanted to be a citizen. I wanted to be like everyone else because I feel I am as Bruneian as they are."

Masdianawaty binti Mohamad Irwandi, 25, stated that this was her own choice, being the first of her siblings to have been granted citizenship.

Sangan Anak Klambu, 58, said, "I`ve been waiting for over 10 years to be granted my citizenship. When I was younger I thought that there was not much difference between a permanent resident and a citizen. Now that I have received it, I feel very blessed and happy."

Source: www.brunei-online.com (12 Juli 2007)

A New Page For ex-MPs ... PAP and Opposition

2011-08-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Even Mr J B Jeyaretnam, Singapore`s first post-1965 Opposition parliamentarian, will get the chance to tell his story, as a local think-tank starts the ball rolling to get former Members of Parliament to write autobiographical essays for a new book.

"At the Institute of South-east Asian Studies (Iseas), we are not against anybody," institute head K Kesavapany told a group of former People`s Action Party (PAP) MPs and academics at a seminar on Tuesday.

"We don`t practice censorship at Iseas — and we will publish what opposition MPs have got to say as long as what they say does not contravene the laws of libel and slander. We are open."

The proposed book will incorporate essays from 30 former MPs and will be edited by two from among their ranks — Dr Chiang Hai Ding and Mr Rohan Kamis — and former director of the National Archives Lily Tan.

The 30 MPs had played a role in shaping Singapore`s history, and had "stories worth telling" for the benefit of future generations and foreigners who become citizens here, seminar participants said.

Mr Chai Chong Yii, 79, who was MP for Bukit Batok from 1972 to 1988, recounted his perplexity on visiting China in 1978. The country had seemed so different from the one he had known before he migrated to Singapore as a young man.

"I felt quite lost," he said. "I was quite shocked to discover that I was not Chinese, my thought processes were not Chinese. I had evolved into a Singaporean."

Singaporeans of today, he felt, had two cultures — that of their country of origin and that of the European/American "dare to try" way of life. Eventually, Singaporean culture could evolve into that of a world culture, he said.

Dr Chiang, 69, an MP from 1970 to 1984, recounted how his grandfather, a poorly-paid teacher, had left Hainan Island for Singapore. In his autobiography, the former MP`s grandfather — whose first job here was as a labourer — had expressed how he found contentment in his old age, as he had managed to improve his family`s lot through migration to Singapore.

Another former MP, Mr R Ravindran, told of how many poor people had sought his help — the question was, who really needed it?

He cited the case of a woman who sought his assistance to get a job. Her head was covered — she claimed she was recovering from brain surgery as the result of being fired upon with a laser gun. Later, Mr Ravindran found out she had actually undergone treatment at Woodbridge Hospital (now the Institute of Mental Health).

Seminar participants also said the book of MPs` essays would come in useful for the next generation of leaders, as these "stories of the heart" would help them better understand the human side of things when they seek the populace`s mandate.

Mr Kesavapany said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was supportive of the idea.

Mr Jeyaretnam could not be reached as of press time.

The book will be launched on Aug 8, 2008, a day before National Day next year, and it could well be the forerunner of a series — there being 200 current and former MPs, 180 of them PAP stalwarts, still around.

Also on the cards for Iseas are books on Singapore`s first Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye, Mr David Marshall, Singapore`s Chief Minister before independence, and Mr Othman Wok, a member of the first Cabinet. Books on the late S Rajaratnam and Lim Kim San, also key first-generation leaders, are already underway.

Meanwhile, one of the founding members of the PAP, Dr Lim Hock Siew — who was detained without trial from 1963 to 1982 — told malaysiakini during an exclusive interview in Kuala Lumpur that he was planning to publish his memoirs. "I am now conducting research to find newly declassified materials in London to link up more dots," the 76-year old said.

He was detained during Operation Cold Store, which saw more than 130 leaders of Opposition parties, labour and student unions, and left-wing journalists held.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (12 Juli 2007)

Brunei Darussalam`s National Flag

2011-08-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, a ceremony to raise the giant Brunei flag in front of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque is held. The raising of the flag marks the beginning of the period when national flags or personal standards belonging to Pengirans and the likes must be raised by all in the country.

The two periods are the National Day celebrations in February to mark the anniversary of Brunei‘s independence and the other is His Majesty the Sultan‘s Birthday Celebrations in July.

Those two ceremonies, albeit being new, are now considered as a normal tradition for the two celebrations. To see the flag being hoisted up the 100 foot flag pole and to see the 3.5m flag waving in the air is a spectacular sight indeed. However, nobody quite remembered when the Brunei flag was created.

For that, we have to go back to slightly more than a hundred years ago. On December 3, 1905, His Majesty Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin, the 26th Sultan of Brunei, signed a Supplementary Agreement to the 1888 Agreement with the British known as the 1906 Agreement, which changed significantly the relationship between the British Resident and the Sultan of Brunei:

"His Highness will receive a British Officer, to be styled Resident, and will provide a suitable residence for him. The Resident will be the Agent and Representative of his Britannic Majesty‘s Government under the High Commissioner for the British Protectorate in Borneo, and his advice must be taken and acted upon on all questions in Brunei, other than those affecting the Mohammedan religion, in order that a similar system may be established to that existing in other Malay States now under protection."

The 1906 agreement was also co-signed by the Principal Wazirs at the time: Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Bendahara Sri Maharaja Permaisuara Pangiran Anak Besar Muhammad bin Pengiran Anak Muhammad Tajuddin; and Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Pemancha Sahib ul-Rae‘ Wal Mushuarat Pengiran Anak Muhammad Saleh bin Pengiran Maharaja Lela Sahib ul-Kahar Pengiran Anak Abdul Kahar.

In agreeing to Brunei being established as a full British protectorate, it allows the British to be responsible for defence and external affairs and to appoint a local Resident to advise the Sultan.

This advice extended to the finer points of modern administration, the raising of revenue and fiscal control, although interference in the internal administration of the sultanate was strictly forbidden.

The signing of the 1906 agreement also brought into existence the national flag in its present form, except for the crest which was added in 1959.

Prior to 1906, Brunei Darussalam did not have a national flag. There were many personal standards (personal flags) which were widely used in the country and these were granted by the Sultan himself.

The standards belonging to His Majesty (yellow colour) and the four Wazirs (Viziers) — Pengiran Bendahara (white), Pengiran Digadong (green), Pengiran Pemancha (black) and Pengiran Temenggong (purple) — were the most important. (The title of Pengiran Perdana Wazir as the Chief of all the Wazirs was adopted in 1970).

The colour scheme of the Brunei Darussalam flag adopted in 1906 was therefore the colours of the principal signatories to the 1906 Agreement which were the colours of the Sultan (yellow), Pengiran Bendahara (white) and Pengiran Pemancha (black).

However it is not known who was the principal proponent for the Brunei flag and the use of the Brunei colours — some say it was most likely it was done by a committee. So, this year, 2007 marked 101 years that the Brunei flag had been in use.

However, the current Brunei flag together with the crest was adopted on 29th September 1959 with the promulgation of the 1959 Brunei Constitution.

In a few vexillology studies on Brunei flags, the measurement of the flag and is various components has been said to vary. Most of these studies were based on old photographs published in the early 20th century. However, according to current official publications, the description of the flag is as follows.

The rectangular shaped State flag comprised of four component portion, two parallelograms and two trapezia.

The flag is cut across by a parallelogram with an official measurement from a point 6.35 cm below the top left corner to a point of the same distance from the bottom corner on the right side.

The flag measures exactly 82 cm long by 91.4 cm wide.

The parallelogram dividing the rectangle in this manner leaves two similar trapezia at the top and bottom of the flag, with the lower trapezium assuming the inverted form of the upper trapezium.

The parallelogram is again divided into two parallelograms of unequal depths, the upper being 2.54cm wider that the lower which is 19.05cm in width. The mast and pedestal of the crest represent the three levels of government.

The elements of the crest are the flag (Bendera) and the Royal Umbrella (Payong Ubor-Ubor) based on ancient royal regalia.

The wings (Sayap), each made up of four feathers symbolise justice, tranquility, peace and prosperity.

The hands (Kimhap) signify that the government preserves and promotes the welfare of the citizens.

The crescent (Bulan) stands for Islam, the state religion. The state slogan, written in Arabic script on the crescent means "Always in Service with God‘s guidance".

The name of the state "Brunei Darussalam" appears on the ribbon or the scroll.

Flags are very important as national symbols. It is related that in the year 629 when our Prophet, upon him peace, fought against the Romans in Syria, the Muslims found that they were outnumbered. During the battle, Jafar Taiyar who retrieved the Muslim banner from Zaid bin Haritha who was killed, held on to the flag with his arm-stumps when his hands were cut off rather than let the Muslim banner fall.

The Brunei flag is our national symbol. It unifies us Bruneians despite our different cultures, races and religions. We must respect and honour it.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (12 Juli 2007)

In East Timor, Language Creates a Headache

2011-08-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

With a new president and parliament, East Timor is poised for reconciliation after more than a year of simmering political tension. But one schism remains: language.

In the extreme minority are the very few East Timorese who speak Portuguese, despite the more than four centuries that Lisbon had a presence in the tiny Asian nation of about one million people.

Yet Portuguese, along with the local vernacular Tetum, is one of East Timor`s two official languages. Tetum is spoken by about 80 percent of the population, along with 16 local dialects.

While sufficient for everyday conversation, Tetum does not possess the rich vocabulary required to express sophisticated concepts and is not much use, for instance, in teaching a biology course or writing a judicial decision.

Geographically, the most widely used language is that of another former occupier, Indonesia. Tetum is not spoken in some remote pockets like Los Palos in the country`s east.

"Indonesian -- or bahasa Melayu -- is still the single most widely spoken language, the language of higher education and the working language of bureaucracy," said Australian academic and East Timor expert Damien Kingsbury.

"It is politically divisive, as is Portuguese, but it has the advantage of already being in place."

Jakarta`s 24-year rule over East Timor began in 1975 shortly after Portugal`s withdrawal and was marked by atrocities and mistrust, saw the complete prohibition of the teaching of Portuguese and its use in the media.

"But the language was never fully expelled, thanks to the resistance," said Benjamin de Araujo E Corte-Real, linguist and vice chancellor of the national university, referring to East Timor`s guerrilla campaign against Indonesia`s occupation.

Portuguese also survived thanks to the Catholic church, which continued to hold masses in the language.

Corte-Real disputes a 2001 World Bank study which found that only five percent of East Timorese could speak Portuguese. No formal language census has ever been carried out.

According to the academic, the population has a "predisposition toward Portuguese," and the survey neglected to take into account that when speaking Tetum, people are unconsciously using a great deal of Portuguese.

About 40 percent of Tetum`s vocabulary is estimated to come from the Romance language.

He also emphasises that Portuguese was chosen as an official language "as part (of) our self-affirmation," noting that use of the language sets East Timor well apart from neighbouring Indonesia and Australia.

Newly elected president, Nobel peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, is a polyglot diplomat, juggling English, Portuguese, French and Tetum with ease.

His recent speeches in Indonesian, a language he is yet to master, have elicited smiles among his audience, but the presidential effort testifies to the importance that, historical animosities aside, Indonesian still carries.

East Timorese radio and television are flooded with Indonesian programmes, the nation`s youth know more about Indonesian rock bands than Portugal`s fado singers, and students dream about studying in Indonesia.

Those against the use of Portuguese say it has never been essential in the nation and cannot help develop it, citing as examples other Portuguese-speaking nations that are located far away and are typically poor.

They say it is an injustice that a young East Timorese must master the language in order to enter the civil service, which already has a poorly skilled pool of people to select candidates from. And once in the service, Indonesian tends to be used on a day-to-day basis.

Many young people, as well, did not understand how a government directed by a Portuguese-speaking elite from abroad -- in particular Mozambique -- managed to be elected in 2001, a year ahead of formal independence.

Defenders of Portuguese sometimes accuse the United Nations and other international organisations of favouring the recruitment of English-speaking rather than Portuguese-speaking Timorese.

English, which along with Indonesian was declared a "working language" of East Timor upon independence, is preferred by many young people.

"Most adolescents want to learn English as it`s the language of development and jobs. If you want to get ahead in Timor, English is the ticket," said Andrea Bartoli, from the Centre for International Conflict Resolution at New York`s Columbia University.

The linguistic diversity throws up some quirks.

During the first presidential poll, the national election commission`s spokesman was a Catholic priest who announced results that varied depending on whether he was speaking in Tetum, English, Portuguese or Indonesian -- leaving journalists scratching their heads.

Meanwhile the United Nations christened its compound in the capital Dili, "Obrigado Barracks," a successful pun on "obrigadu barak" which in Tetum means "thank you very much."

Source: www.france24.com (12 Juli 2007)

Jakarta Ready to Talk Again

2011-08-02T20:59:00.001-07:00

After accusing Singapore last week of trying to undermine a defence pact with Indonesia, Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono has said that talks between the two countries will resume. He even expressed hope that the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) could be ratified next year.

"The heads of the governments from the two countries have agreed that negotiations must continue," Mr Juwono told the Indonesian news agency Antara on Monday. The talks would be led by the respective foreign ministers, he added.

In remarks published in The Jakarta Post, Mr Juwono was also quoted as saying that he aims to "have the treaty (DCA) ratified in 2008" — a contention that drew scepticism from analysts.

Mr Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow with the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), told Today: "Mr Juwono may well aim to have the DCA ratified by 2008. But whether it will be indeed ratified by 2008, or at all, will depend on the dynamics of legislative politics in the DPR (parliament)."

Mr Juwono`s latest remarks came after Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told the Indonesian media that he had been ordered by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to continue negotiations on the defence pact despite protests from Indonesian politicians.

The Indonesian news portal detik.com quoted Mr Hassan as saying on Thursday that Jakarta is "not closing the door as if the process had been frozen".

The DCA and an extradition treaty were signed by both countries as a package in April. But many Indonesian politicians have complained that the defence pact — which, among other things, allows Singapore soldiers to train on Indonesian territory — undermines the country`s sovereignty.

The Yudhoyono government has asked for changes to be made to three of the four implementing agreements (IAs) accompanying the treaties. According to Singapore`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic could not agree to the changes and "had made a proposal to Indonesia on how to move the process forward".

Analysts told Today they are not ruling out the possibility of more snags along the way, Even before the DCA was presented to parliament, Mr Yang said, the key DPR commission handling foreign and security affairs had already taken a rejectionist stand on the treaty.

But another analyst pointed out that it wasn`t just Indonesian politicians who were opposed to the defence pact.

Dr Nankyung Choi, also of the RSIS, said: "Another interesting development to note is that local people in the Riau Archipelago have strongly objected to the agreement, mostly because of their concerns over (the impact of) military activities on environment and the investment climate."

Indonesian political scientist, Mr Daniel Dhakidae, described Mr Juwono`s latest statements as a "face-saving step" on the part of the Indonesian government. "Without improvements in several fields (of the DCA) … I foresee a bumpy road ahead," said Mr Dhakidae, who heads the Jakarta-based organisation Partnership for Good Governance in Indonesia.

He cited jurisdiction as one contentious issue that needs to be tackled.

"There is no clear borderline between the Indonesian `backyard` in places where Singapore`s Navy will be doing military exercises, and Singaporean `frontyard`, where they can move around freely."

Another Indonesian analyst based in Singapore believes that it is now up to the Yudhoyono government to convince DPR members that the defence pact is crucial to Indonesia` s national interests.

Dr Bahtiar Effendy, who is with RSIS, said: "If they (DPR members) are kept in the dark, there are going to be more snags."

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (12 Juli 2007)

Thailand`s Forward Looking Religious School

2011-08-02T20:58:00.001-07:00

Nakorn Sri Thammarat (Southern Thailand) - The Ma`had Misbahuddin (Torch of Islam) or Prateepsasana Islamic School is something different from the typical religious schools found in south Thailand.

The school is situated about 800km to the south of Bangkok. It is one of the many religious schools or `pondok bantan` that can be found in the restive southern provinces. They are viewed with suspicion by the authorities as they feel it is where the seeds of extremism are planted and militants harboured.

Yet the 66-year-old school has proved itself otherwise and today it`s an exemplary pondok where religious studies are integrated with secular and vocational subjects.

But foremost, it has produced one of the country`s well-known intellectuals - former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan - and now the Asean secretary-general designate.

"Students need to be educated in a comprehensive manner in religion. But the problem is how are we going to prepare them to face challenges brought by modernisation while convincing their parents that their children`s faith will remain intact," said Surin during an interview here.

Torch Of Islam

Surin, who has been nominated by the Thai Government to be the next Asean secretary-general, said the Ma`had Misbahuddin was established in 1941 when a small number of Thai Muslim students returned from Mecca.

Led by his grandfather they decided to set up a small Pondok Bantan, as it is known locally, for basic Fardu`ain education for boys and girls in the southern province of Nakorn Sri Thammarat.

Beginning with 50 plus students in the early 1940s, the school now has 1,361 students. The students come from other provinces including Krabi and Songkhla. It now has 73 teachers who teach traditional Islamic studies and modern Islamic and secular subjects.

Although the Government pays 60 percent of the teachers` salary, the pondok remains independent.

Parents Don`t Favour Mainstream Schools

"Parents here are reluctant to send their children to government schools because Islamic subjects are not taught there. This pondok teaches Quran, ritual, ethics, theology from the sixth to 12th grade," he added.

Surin said the school run by five of his siblings provides value added education from kindergarten up to high school level by providing studies in information communication technology and accounting that enhance their value in the job market.

"So when they leave the school, they have something to back them up. Some start book keeping or business when they return to their villages...even selling curry paste or mobile phones...this is an economic transformation," he added.

Surin said this is a stark contrast compared to the past when students returned home to become farmers or fishermen.

Parents More Open To Secular-Religious Education

The Thai authorities had partly blamed the pondok education for the rise in youngsters joining separatist movements in the ongoing violence in the Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

There are more than 500 pondok operating in southern Thailand but only about 300 registered with the government.

Surin said the estimated 2.5 million Muslims in the south have been struggling to catch up with the political, social and economic changes affecting the country and the world.

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) on the Southern Conflict estimated that about 5,000 students graduate from the pondok school system annually in southern Thailand but not many go for higher education in science or economics.

"Some go to Middle East while many go to the open admission at the Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. But with our religious-secular subjects, more students are going to universities to study law or science, teachers` training colleges and vocational schools," he said.

Asked if the religious-secular combination were objected by parents, Surin said they are comfortable if their children could absorb both and become more marketable.

"In fact, I am surprised to see well-to-do parents sending their kids to our school. They are prosperous but very much attached to traditional values...the message is that they want to maintain their identity," he added.

Pondok School Still Close To His Heart

Despite his busy schedule, Surin remains close to the pondok that nurtured him into a public figure and recently hosted Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont during the pondok`s 66th anniversary celebrations.

"He (Surayud) was amazed when he stepped into the school compound. He thought he was going to officiate the celebration at a small mosque and did not expect to see modern and nice buildings," he said.

The old style pondok has long gone, replaced by buildings and mosque donated by the Islamic Development Bank, Emir of Kuwait and businessmen from West Asia.

The `pondok` education also received a shot in the arm when Japan`s Sasakawa Peace Foundation came forward to offer its assistance to a group of 32 pondok to enhance their academic standards.

Surin said education could be one of the key components in finding a lasting solution to the conflict in south.

"Surayud is using the right approach but the success depends very much on the implementation by officers on the ground and how far they understand the complexity of the problem," he said.

Source: www.bernama.com (12 Juli 2007)

RTB-RTM Pantun Fest Recordings Come To A Close

2011-08-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Recordings of the annual pantun festival between Radio Television Brunei (RTB) and Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) ended yesterday at Studio 1 of RTB in the capital.

For two days, artistes from Brunei and Malaysia had been working tirelessly for the pantun festival, which will be aired by both stations next Hari Raya Aidiladha on December 20.

The artistes, along with television crews of RTB and RTM, attended a farewell dinner at the residence of Haji Murni in Kampong Lambak, Jalan Pasir Berakas.

The Malaysian artistes will leave for Kuala Lumpur today.

RTM was represented by singers Natasha and Haziq and actors Imuda, Bell and Wan Maimunah, while RTB was represented by singers Ak`Amilin and Tengku Syifa and actors Hulubalang Diraja Haji Abdul Rahrnan, Hjh Soma, Serudin Haji Awang Damit, Fathan and Nurharizah.

The 45-minute programme features artistes from both countries in acting sketches, exchanging pantun and singing.

Programme producer Dayang Hajah Jauyah bte Haji Chuchu of RTB Television Drama Unit said she was satisfied with the performances of participating artistes. One of the objectives, she said, is to honour the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by RTB and RTM which aims at strengthening the ties between the two stations.

"It is also to portray and cultivate positive image to the youngster generations through the revelation of culture and traditional values, and to introduce their song compositions to each other," she added.

Source: www.brudirect.com (12 Juli 2007)

Call To Respect Malay Language

2011-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Director of Arts and Literature Bureau Dr Mataim bin Bakar urged students, teachers, parents to respect the Malay language in line with its position as Brunei`s official language as outlined by the Brunei National Board.

He told a religious public speaking competition among secondary schools and colleges at the Sayyidina Ali Secondary School in Kuala Belait.

"It was brought to our attention that a large group of students and youths are abandoning the use of quality and correct Malay language to the extent that the language is not practised in their daily lives.

"The matter is worsened when parents themselves encourage their children to use foreign language within the family circle and this is an unhealthy phenomenon and is a worrying trend in the country."

The chief guest said the religious public speaking competition is an activity that produces students with smooth deliberation skills, who are conversant and self-confident.

Without such characteristics, participants are unable to present good, logical, pragmatic and rational contents.

Awg Ahmad Zulwaqar bin Suhaili from Mahad Islam Brunei Tutong School emerged as the champion in the male category. His talk touched on the impact of drugs on the youth and nation. He obtained 91 per cent.

In the female category, Dyg Siti Khairunnisa binte Mohd Rosli from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School won first place. She talked on being kind to parents in religious terms. She obtained 92.5 per cent.

The guest of honour presented trophies to winners and certificates to participants.

Meanwhile, the event`s chairman Awg Abd Ghani bin Hj Abd Kadir said the competition was jointly organised by the Religious Section, Curriculum Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Sayyidina Ali Secondary School Kuala Belait.

The 19-year-old competition aimed to expose talented students to public speaking, motivate and activate the students` mind to debate and gain courage in delivering a talk before a crowd.

This year, 20 government schools and colleges, four schools under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and four private secondary schools participated.

Some 22 male and 24 female participants competed in the preliminary rounds on May 3.

Source: www.brudirect.com (12 Juli 2007)

Meet to Standardise Traditional Medicine

2011-08-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Brunei-Muara - Some 150 representatives of healthcare institutions in Southeast Asia are here for a meeting that will set the bases for standardising rules governing traditional medicines and health supplements in the region.

The seventh meeting of the product working group under the Consultative Committee on Standard and Quality (ACCSQ) for Traditional Medicine and Health Supplements, which ends today, is part of the group‘s work programme and a follow-through of the 29th ACCSQ Meeting.

It highlights the Sixth Meeting of ACCSQ working group, the outcome of the seminar on the role of science in the regulation of traditional medicines and health supplements and discussions on implementation of the work programme, said the Ministry of Health.

During the opening ceremony of the meeting held at at the Royal Berkshire Hall of the Jerudong Park Country Club, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dato Paduka Serbini Hj Ali said, "Traditional medicines arevery widely used today andin some parts of the world they have rapidly become a partof the health system and(have gained) economic importance."

The working group will be addressing technical issues during the meeting on the implementation and harmonisation of traditional medicine and health supplements by the year 2010. Among their objectives is to establish a conformity assessment system to regulate the safety and quality of these products, the setting up of a product placement system that suits all member countries, fixed labelling requirements, the endorsement of Good Manufacturing Practice draft guidelines for traditional medicine and health supplements products.

A seminar was held prior to the current meeting to further promote the sharing of comprehensive scientific information and experiences on traditional medicines and health supplements.

During the seminar on July 9, five speakers from Hungary, Indonesia and the United States of America delivered talks on several topics related to regulating traditional medicine and health supplements. They highlighted some of the key issues on standards, quality, safety and exploring ways to address them.

A variety of topics were covered at the seminar, including a related issue which was was highlighted by Indonesian representative Professor Dr Suwijiyo Pramono on the importance of eco-conservation.

He said that the uncontrolled exploitation of the natural resources must be regulated in order to prevent unnecessary environmental destruction and to protect endangered resources and over-exploitation of indigenous natural resources.

The permanent secretary expressed his hopes that the meeting would succeed in addressing technical issues regarding the need for labelling standards and other aspects such as risk management and product testing.

"Asean regulatory harmonisation may not be easy and may not move as fast as we would like it to be but I am sure that the steps that will be taken over the next few days will be significant ones,"he said.

Source: www.bruneitimes.com (12 Juli 2007)

Wakatobi District Head Promotes Sulawesi Tourism in Europe

2011-08-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Kendari - Wakatobi district head Hugua visited several European and Asian countries recently to promote southeast Sulawesi`s tourism potential. "I have visited several European and Asian countries to promote our province`s tourism, not just for sight-seeing," Hugua said here Wednesday.

He explained that the visits were not paid by the provincial budget, but at the expense of three foreign companies which have invested in the province.

Last June, the Wakatobi district head visited Spain, France, Italy and Saudi Arabia in a tourism promotion mission. Previously, he had visited Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and The Netherlands at an invitation of an environmental non-governmental organization (NGO).

Hugua said that the visits were not merely tours for him, but he had to present papers to introduce tourist objects and traditional cultures of southeast Sulawesi to the people of the Asian and European countries.

Tourism promotion abroad has yielded some results, as between 150 to 250 foreign tourists have started to visit Hoga Island in the province lately.

When he visited Japan early this year, the government of Japan expressed its interest in helping the province through a project called "Sulawesi Capacity Development", he said.

Source: www.zeenews.com (12 Juli 2007)

A New Face For Islamic Teaching

2011-08-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Education is a key factor in strategies to restore peace in the Muslim-dominated far South. Prasert Kaewphet, an Education Ministry inspector who supervises education services for the region, elaborated on the strategy in an interview with Sirikul Bunnag.

How much progress has been made in preparing an education plan for the far South?

The plan is almost finished. It will be submitted to the Southern Education Board chaired by Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn on July 23 during a meeting in Narathiwat.

What are the main points of the plan?

The main point is a new approach to revamp Islamic education for the first time. This will affect education from primary to higher education levels. It includes a standard curriculum for Islamic studies, screening of executives and teachers of private Islamic schools, and systems to evaluate their performance and the quality of their schools.

How can it be implemented?

An agency will specifically govern Islamic education in the region. It will be headed by a board of directors that will include well-known Islamic academics, representatives of the regional branch of the Education Ministry and representatives of the community.

The agency will supervise the development of a standard Islamic curriculum, specify the correct content of Islamic teaching, and meet local people`s professional demands by adding vocational teaching to the curriculums that feature Islamic studies.

The agency will have the power to issue and revoke the professional licences of executives of Islamic schools and Islamic teachers, and train them.

This will be the first time executives of Islamic schools and Islamic teachers have needed licences. How will you manage the plan?

Islamic education in the region rests mainly with private schools. There are about 10,000 executives and teachers at these schools.

Most executives do not have educational management certificates and most teachers do not have teaching certificates. Most of them graduated in the Middle East, and at least 300 of them did not graduate at all. They copy what former teachers did, so the teaching is substandard, does not reflect professionalism and rarely adheres to professional protocols.

Within five years, they must have professional licences. To acquire licences, the executives and the teachers must graduate and have certificates from professional teaching institutions recognised by the government.

They must undergo training in teaching etiquette and the application of Islam for the peace and security of the region.

There are as many as 10,000 executives and teachers of Islamic studies. How can you convince all of them to apply for the licences?

We have been working with these people. For two years, we have encouraged owners, executives and teachers of private Islamic schools to take one-year courses in school management and teaching at local universities.

About 800 of them have obtained certificates. For the other 300 executives and teachers who did not graduate, we are providing them with higher education and then the professional courses.

What will be the consequences of the licensing scheme?

The government can screen out those who intend to abuse Islamic education to create national disorder, and in the meantime can keep and promote the people who devote themselves to good educational services.

From now on, people cannot just begin Islamic teaching at will any more. We base the revamp of Islamic education on the standard and systematic Islamic education of Malaysia.

State schools are blamed for failing to meet the demands and lifestyles of local people. How will you deal with them?

State schools in Muslim-dominated areas will teach Malay from kindergarten to the high school levels. The teaching is being piloted at 12 schools. This will expand to 100 schools this year and eventually to all schools. State schools will also teach Islam. This has begun at 142 schools. It will bring local young people to educational services of the government sector instead of being lured into doing wrong.

Source: www.bangkokpost.com (12 Juli 2007)

Showcase Of Local, Thai Songs And Dance

2011-08-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - An array of traditional song and dances from Brunei Darussalam and Thailand will be showcased during a two hour musical programme jointly organised by Radio Television Brunei (RTB) and RTH Thailand this coming August.

The third of its kind, the show - which this year comes under the memorandum of understanding between RTB and RTH - is called Alai Krathong, which is derived from the combination of a Malay and Thai word.

Both countries have taken turns to host the show, with Brunei playing host back in 2003.

To prepare for the traditional musical performances, the second production meeting for the Alai Krathong was yesterday held at RTB.

In his welcoming address, RTB Acting Head of Radio Haji Bahmin bin Hj Hamdan revealed that the programme would start with the intro segment by both Brunei and Thailand.

Following this would be the royal compositions and folk traditional music of both countries. Meanwhile, for the finale, both Brunei and Thai artistes will perform.

"After electing the Alai Krathong 2007 chair and co-chairpersons, we will review and discuss the status of the first meeting. We will also adopt the second Alai Krathong 2007 production meeting report and consider other matters," he added.

"It is always a pleasure to be able to come together again, among friends, to strengthen cooperation in the field of broadcasting, particularly radio cooperation," he said.

Heading the RTH delegation at the meeting was Radio Thailand Executive Director Paitoon Srirawd.

Source: www.brudirect.com (12 Juli 2007)

Kite Fest At Tungku Beach On Aug 5

2011-08-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bandar Seri Begawan - Kite-flying enthusiasts are invited to participate in a Kite Festival to be held on August 5 at Tungku beach and this year the contest is only open to local participants.

Chairman of the festival, Hj Maidin Hj Ahmad said that 12 events will be contested at the events, which include `Rukaku`. RuKaku is a large kite which originates from Japan and has been played in competitions in the Asian level.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the festival, who is also the Technical Secretary of Brunei-Muara Kite Association, Awg Haji Bakar said that Brunei has 25 types of kites with different names and shapes. However, only traditional, kites will be allowed at the competition.

Last year, it was open to participants from the Asean region and during Visit Brunei Year 2001; the event saw an international participation. The Kite Festival this year is held to add merriment to His Majesty`s 61st birthday celebration.

Haji Maidin said a colouring competition will also be held on that day for children aged 12 years and below. There will also be bazaar stalls for local traders to sell food and drinks to the public.

The kite competition is open to participants aged 18 years and above and citizens of Brunei Darussalam.

Entry forms are available at the 1lruneiMuara District Office (Public Relations Section). Registration will also be accepted on the day of competition.

Source: www.brudirect.com (12 Juli 2007)

Halal Guidebooks Published For Meat Manufacturers

2011-08-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

Brunei-Muara- Australian and Canadian manufacturers have indicated an interest in using in the sukaruite`s halal accreditation said acting director from agriculture department, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the State Mufti`s Office and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) on the publication of two books about Brunei`s Premium Halal Brand yesterday.

Acting Director of Agriculture Department, Hajah Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Haji Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri told The Brunei Times, with the interests shown, the distribution of books during the international Halal Products Expo later this year.

In her opening speech during the signing, the acting director said the initiative by MIPR to elevate the local halal industry is aligned with the cooperation between the ministry and the state Mufti`s office, as a platform to refer to the hukum (rules or laws) and fatwa (religious edict)-related to halal issues.

As an Islamic country, the strength of the country lies in its strong Islamic teachings and administration.

This niche advantage can be capitalised upon to allow the sultanate to compete in the international market - an industry valued at US$600 billion.

She said; through this cooperation with the State Mufti`s Office, other cooperation in various fields, can further add strength or advantages for the country.

The State Mufti`s Office Administration Director, Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari PSRK Haji Abu Hanifah also noted that the landmark event could encourage more cooperation.

The ceremony yesterday was geared towards the production of two books covering issues on halal products, compiled from the collection of the State Mufti`s fatwa from 1994 to 2006, as well as a book on animal slaughtering and meat management, which is a collection of fatwa from the former Mufti, the late Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama Dr Haji Ismail Omar Abdul Aziz as well as those from the current State mufti,, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Abdul Aziz Juned from the period of 1962 to 1999.

Source: www.brudirect.com (12 Juli 2007)

Masjid Cagar Budaya Tinggal Puing

2011-08-02T19:54:00.001-07:00

Jambi - Sebuah masjid kuno peninggalan masa-masa awal Islam di Desa Lolo Hilir, Kecamatan Gunung Raya, Kabupaten Kerinci, yang sudah terdaftar sebagai benda cagar budaya, saat ini kondisinya sudah sangat memprihatinkan. Masjid tersebut rusak berat dan kini tinggal puing.

"Sudah belasan tahun kondisi masjid ini begini tidak pernah terawat lagi. Hingga kini yang tersisa hanya puing-puingnya seperti kerangka, lantai batu alam campuran semen yang keras, tiang-tiang dan soko guru dari kayu keras," kata salah seorang warga Lolo Hilir, Kamra (39), di Kerinci, Senin (30/5).

Sementara, bagian atap dan dinding yang dulunya adalah papan berukiran motif khas desa setempat kini telah banyak hilang dicomot warga untuk dijadikan kayu bakar. Bahkan, ada yang dijual kepada para makelar barang antik. Beruntung bagian kubahnya masih tersisa meski sudah sangat kusam dan usang.

"Masjid ini adalah masjid pertama di desa kami. Menurut para ahli, masjid ini diperkirakan dibangun pada abad 15 hingga 16 masehi. Masjid ini juga pernah dipugar pada zaman Belanda," terang Kamra.

Masjid tua yang oleh masyarakat setempat disebut Masjid Lamo tersebut dibangun di pinggir sungai Lolo. Dengan begitu, umat Islam atau jemaah masjid dulunya bisa dengan mudah langsung mengambil wuduk atau mandi di sungai tersebut.

Saat ini sudah lama masjid itu tidak dipergunakan lagi oleh masyarakat setempat. Karena semenjak 1990, mereka sudah membangun masjid baru yang pemanen di bagian lain desa. Semenjak itulah masjid tua itu terbengkalai.

"Ketika terjadi gempa dahsyat pada 1995 dan 2009 lalu, masjid tua tersebut terbukti sangat kokoh konstruksinya karena tak sedikit pun mengalamim kerusakan. Termasuk bagian lantai yang terbuat dari batu alam itu," terang Kamra.

Sumber: http://www.republika.co.id

Benteng Putri Hijau Diruntuhkan, Sejarahwan Akan Class Action

2011-08-02T19:50:00.001-07:00

Medan, Sumut - Kalangan sejarahwan memprotes keras tindakan pengembang yang membuldozer kawasan Benteng Putri Hijau Delitua rata dengan tanah. Dan akan segera melakukan class action dan akan melaporkan Bupati Deli Serdang ke polisi karena secara nyata telah melanggar UU Nomor 11 tentang Cagar Budaya.

"Terkait persoalan ini, beberapa pengacara telah menyampaikan kesediaannya untuk membantu," kata Kepala Pussis-Unimed Dr. Phil Ichwan Azhari kepada wartawan di Medan, Kamis (2/6).

Dijelaskan Ichwan, Pussis-Unimed pada tanggal 1 Juni 2011 mengunjungi Benteng Putri Hijau bersama Dr. Edward McKinnon (arkeolog Inggris konsultan arkeologi Pussis-Unimed). Dari peninjauan itu, tampak bahwa badan benteng di dusun 11 desa Delitua telah diratakan dengan buldozer. Ditempat yang diratakan tersebut terdapat gundukan batu dan pasir yang akan digunakan dalam rangka membangun perumahan.

Juga patok-patok untuk batas untuk pendirian rumah telah ditancapkan. Badan benteng yang diratakan tersebut sepanjang 150-200 meter disebelah selatan dusun 11dan sebelah utara telah diratakan dengan lahan persawahan. Padahal, terang Ichwan Azhari yang didampingi peneliti Pussis-Unimed Erron Damanik benteng ini merupakan pertahanan militer yang memanfaatkan kontur tanah dengan kearifan lokal masyarakat Aru pada abad ke-16-17 Masehi.

Pemkab Tidak Serius

Menurut Ichwan Azhari, tindakan pengembang juga menunjukkan ketidakseriusan Pemkab Deli Serdang dalam pelestarian dan penyelamatan Situs Sejarah yang sangat penting terutama bagi orang Melayu dan Karo tersebut.

Patut dipertanyakan juga, mengapa izin mendirikan bangunan di situs sejarah kembali dikeluarkan oleh Pemkab Deli Serdang yang berdasarkan hasil penelitian, situs tersebut sudah jelas-jelas dinyatakan sebagai situs sejarah yang wajib dilindungi. Anehnya lagi, ungkap Ichwan Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Deli Serdang yang menggagas penelitian 2 tahun silam dan jelas sekali mengetahui bahwa Benteng Putri Hijau Delitua adalah situs sejarah yang wajib dilindungi.

"Mereka pasti mengetahui bahwa Benteng Putri Hijau telah dinyatakan sebagai situs sejarah dan laporan penelitian ada pada mereka," imbuhnya.

Fakta menyakitkan ini, tegasnya menunjukkan ketidakseriusan Pemkab Deli Serdang yang menerbitkan izin pembangunan perumahan diatas lahan situs tersebut. Jelas sekali tidak ada kordinasi antar instansi dan antar dinas di Deli Serdang terbukti dengan keluarnya izin mendirikan rumah di lahan situs yang jelas sekali bertentangan dengan UU No 11 Tahun 2010 tentang Cagar Budaya, ujar Ichwan.

Pengrusakan terhadap situs sejarah ini mengindikasikan bahwa pemerintah tidak peduli terhadap perlindungan kawasan-kawasan yang penting untuk dilindungi. Jika memang pemerintah menaruh apresiasi terhadap penyelamatan situs, maka pembuldozeran kembali situs Benteng Putri Hijau tidak perlu terjadi lagi, kata Ichwan.

Sementara itu, Edward McKinnon yang juga turut serta dalam rombongan tersebut memperlihatkan kekecewaannya terhadap benteng yang lagi-lagi harus menerima perlakukan tidak manusiawi itu. “Mengapa benteng yang begitu memiliki nilai sejarah ini harus di buldozer?”, ucap Mc Kinnon bertanya.

Arkeolog berkebangsaan Inggris itu mengemukakan bahwa hasil penelitian sudah jelas merekomendasikan bahwa Benteng Putri Hijau wajib dilindungi, dan pengrusakan terhadap benteng ini memperlihatkan bahwa pemerintah Indonesia khususnya Deli Serdang menunjukkan perhatian minim terhadap pelestarian situs sejarah. "Ini akan membuat citra pemerintah semakin jelek" ucap Mc Kinnon.

Sebagaimana diketahui bahwa, McKinnon merupakan arkeolog yang pertama sekali meneliti tentang Benteng Putri Hijau dan diikuti kemudian oleh John Norman Miksic pada tahun 190-an.

Sumber: http://www.analisadaily.com

Berbahasa Indonesia di Singapura

2011-08-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Singapura – “Jangan malu menggunakan bahasa Indonesia di Singapura..!” Saran itu datang dari Mr. Ellen Cheng, seorang bankir dari Citibank Singapura, kepada Bambang Sutiyono, wartawan tubasmedia.com yang kini sedang bertugas di Negeri Singa tersebut.

Saat ini, etnis Cina mendominasi 74,2% populasi Singapura. 13,4% etnis Melayu, 9,2% dari etnis India, dan sisanya 3,2% berasal dari Eurasia, peranakan dan etnis lain. Singapura mengadopsi satu bahasa dari masing-masing etnis utama. Empat bahasa resmi dalam Undang-undang Singapura adalah bahasa Inggris, Mandarin, Melayu dan Tamil.

Namun, sebagai pengakuan atas status etnis Melayu sebagai masyarakat pribumi Singapura, Bahasa Nasional Singapura adalah Bahasa Melayu. August kata orang Singapura, Agustus kata orang Indonesia atau Ogos kata orang Malaysia. Sama saja, semua dengan baik dapat ditangkap maknanya oleh masyarakat Singapura.

Menggunakan bahasa Indonesia di Singapura bukanlah sesuatu yang memalukan. Tetapi bila terpaksa menggunakan Bahasa Inggris, maka yang dibutuhkan adalah kecermatan dalam mendengar.

Karena Singlish (Bahasa Inggris Singapura), mempunyai slank dan logat yang terkadang aneh di telinga kita. “Go where..aaa?” misalnya, adalah pertanyaan dari seorang supir taksi Singapura, ketika mereka ingin mengetahui tujuan kita. “Where are you going?” itu barangkali yang dimaksudkannya.

Sumber: http://www.tubasmedia.com

Sastra untuk Kebangkitan Peradaban

2011-08-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Oleh A. Mujib El Shirazy

Mungkinkah sastra memiliki kemampuan dalam membentuk peradaban Islam yang penuh cinta? Tema ini oleh kalangan tertentu dianggap sebagai simplifikasi persoalan dan terkesan mengada-ada lantaran bagi kalangan tertentu, sastra tidak ada kaitannya dengan peradaban, apalagi masalah keislaman. Bagi kalangan ini, sastra seharusnya disunyikan dari kepentingan apapun, termasuk kepentingan peradaban. Cukuplah sastra untuk sastra.

Padahal antara sastra, peradaban, dan Islam memiliki kaitan cukup erat. Sastra dalam Bahasa Arab disebut pula dengan istilah adab yang artinya sopan, penuh dengan keindahan. Manusia yang beradab artinya manusia yang menampilkan cara hidup yang indah, hidup dengan keluhuran budi pekerti. Sebaliknya, manusia yang tidak beradab adalah manusia jauh dari cara-cara hidup yang indah, manusia bengis, yang diliputi kebencian. Peradaban sendiri bisa diartikan sebagai pandangan hidup, aktivitas, dan buah karya manusia yang di dalamnya mengandung nilai-nilai keindahan.

Islam menyebutkan bahwa misi utama diutusnya Rasulullah SAW di muka bumi ini adalah untuk menjadikan manusia beradab. Sementara, Alquran sebagai kitab panduan hidup umat muslim merupakan kitab suci yang mengandung kedahsyatan sastra menakjubkan. Alquran diturunkan dengan bahasa yang mengandung nilai sastra tinggi, yang membuat pujangga jahiliyah takjub terheran-heran. Kandungan sastranya menjadi legenda yang tidak bisa diungguli oleh sastrawan manapun hingga saat ini. Dari sini saja, bisa dilihat begitu terang hubungan antara sastra, peradaban, dan Islam. Ketiganya bermuara pada titik yang sama, yaitu keindahan.

Sebagai agama yang peduli pada keindahan, Islam menghendaki dakwah dengan cara-cara indah. Seorang ulama, selain dituntut hidup dengan keindahan budi pekerti, juga dituntut mampu mendakwahkan kebenaran agama dengan kata-kata yang menawan jiwa. Di sinilah sastra memiliki peran tak terpisahkan dalam Islam. Maka tidak perlu heran, bila kemudian dalam rentan sejarah peradaban Islam banyak sekali ulama besar yang juga sastrawan.

Pada masa Rasulullah ada kisah waktu itu Nabi SAW meminta Hasan ibn Tsabit, sahabat yang terkenal piawai mengarang puisi, untuk membuat puisi-puisi sebagai balasan atas orang-orang kafir yang menjelekkan orang Islam (Fethullah Gullen, 2011)

Penyemangat Perjuangan

Sahabat Ali Ra, salah satu khulafaurrasyidin, dikenal sebagai sahabat yang memiliki kepiawaiaan meramu kata dalam tiap pidatonya yang memikat jiwa. Pidato-pidato yang kini dapat kita nikmati bersama dalam buku sastra mengagumkan, Nahjul Balaghah.

Imam Syafi’i, yang hidup sesudahnya, salah satu dari empat imam mazhab fikih, penggagas ilmu ushul fikih, ternyata juga adalah seorang sastrawan yang terkenal piawai merangkai kata. Beliau meninggalkan banyak sekali petuah kehidupan yang tersusun dalam kalimat puitis yang abadi hingga saat ini. Tidak berlebihan, jika Dr Muhammad Ibrahim Al Fayyumi, dalam bukunya menjuluki Imam Syafi’i sebagai pelopor fikih dan sastra (Fayyumi, 2009).

Pada era dinasti Ayyubiah, Perang Salib III menjadi saksi bisu lahirnya Al-Barjanji, kitab sastra yang berisi Sirah Nabi. Waktu itu, di bawah komando Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, kitab karya Syaikh Ja’far al Barzanji ini sanggup menggerakkan pasukan muslim untuk membebaskan Baitul Maqdis. Begitu pula di Indonesia, sekitar 1880-an, lahir karya Hikayat Prang Sabi karya ulama Aceh, Teuku Cik Panti Kulu yang menjadi obor penyemangat perjuangan rakyat Aceh dalam mengusir kolonial Belanda.

Masih banyak ulama sastrawan yang tidak mungkin disebut dalam tulisan ini. Ulama yang telah meresapi betul hakikat jalan agama yang ia tempuh, jalan yang penuh dengan keindahan, yang semestinya didakwahkan dengan cara yang indah pula. Mereka begitu tulus mendedikasikan seluruh hidupnya dalam upaya membangun peradaban melalui jalan keindahan. Ulama yang melahirkan karya-karya sastra yang memikat jiwa, karya yang begitu berpengaruh dalam membentuk peradaban Islam.

Dari mereka, kita belajar bahwa membangun peradaban Islam tidak bisa tidak kecuali dengan menempuh jalan keindahan, salah satunya jalan sastra.

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A Mujib El Shirazy, dosen Peradaban Islam Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (Unissula) Semarang.

Sumber: http://suaramerdeka.com

Sleman Promosikan Candi Ratu Boko

2011-08-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sleman, DIY - PT Taman Wisata Candi Prambanan dan Ratu Boko bekerja sama dengan Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Kabupaten Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta melakukan promosi wisata untuk menjual obyek wisata Candi Ratu Boko yang memiliki panorama indah di puncak bukit.

"Candi Prambanan selama ini sudah begitu dikenal luas, kini saatnya untuk lebih mengangkat potensi lain yang tidak kalah menariknya yaitu Candi Ratu Boko," kata Manajer Pengembangan Usaha PT Taman Wisata, Des Wibowo, Jumat (3/6/2011).

Menurut Wibowo, pihaknya yakin ke depan Candi Ratu Boko akan lebih diminati wisatawan baik domestik maupun asing. "Di satu sisi lokasinya tidak jauh dari Candi Prambanan sehingga saat ini pun sudah disediakan jasa antar gratis bagi wisatawan Candi Prambanan ke Candi Ratu Boko," katanya.

Wibowo melanjutkan, pada sisi lain eksotika Candi Ratu Boko yang belum banyak dikenal adalah memiliki lokasi yang sangat nyaman dan tepat untuk menikmati "sunset" sambil menikmati pemandangan alam yang menakjubkan. "Gemerlap lampu di malam hari dikawasan Yogyakarta akan menambah nikmatnya suasana. Terlebih lagi disiang hari wisatawan juga akan disambut ratusan merpati yang sudah jinak," katanya.

Kepala Seksi Dokumentasi dan Informasi Pariwisata Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (Disbudpar) Kabupaten Sleman, Wasita mengatakan, upaya promosi sangat tepat mengingat pengunjungnya cukup besar, sehingga cukup potensial untuk lebih mengenalkan potensi pariwisata di DIY khususnya potensi wisata Sleman. "Candi Ratu Boko memang merupakan potensi yang luar biasa namun belum begitu banyak dikenal karena memang lokasinya yang agak jauh dari jalur utama," katanya.

Wasita mengatakan, Disbudpar Sleman juga akan melakukan berbagai upaya untuk meramaikan kawasan Candi Ratu Boko. "Upaya promosi tersebut diantaranya dengan penyelenggaraan "Java Summer Camp 2011" pada 1 hingga 3 Juli 2011 di bumi perkemahan Candi Ratu Boko yang diikuti oleh 200 peserta dari berbagai daerah dan negara," katanya.

Sumber: http://travel.kompas.com

Hidupkan Segera Wisata Majapahit

2011-08-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mojokerto, Jatim - Komunitas perajin barang seni Trowulan meminta pemerintah pusat segera menghidupkan pariwisata Majapahit di Trowulan, Mojokerto, Jawa Timur. Pasalnya, hidupnya pariwisata Majapahit diyakini bisa mengembangkan usaha kecil menengah barang seni asal Trowulan.

”Selama ini perajin barang seni khas Majapahit asal Trowulan menjadi epigon (mengekor/meniru) Borobudur dan Bali. Hal itu karena pariwisata Borobudur dan Bali jauh lebih hidup dibandingkan dengan pariwisata Majapahit,” kata Ketua Sentra Komunitas Perajin Perunggu/Kuningan Trowulan, Supriyadi, Jumat (3/6/2011).

Ia mengatakan, sampai sekarang ini posisi pasar produk barang seni khas Majapahit yang dihasilkan oleh komunitas-komunitas perajin Trowulan sangat bergantung pada pariwisata Borobudur dan Bali. Realitas itulah yang mendorong komunitas-komunitas perajin Trowulan bersepakat meminta pemerintah pusat segera merekonstruksi jejak-jejak Majapahit di kawasan Trowulan dan membangun Pusat Informasi Majapahit atau Majapahit Park.

”Usaha kecil menengah barang seni Trowulan bisa berkembang kalau pariwisata Majapahit hidup seperti pariwisata Borobudur dan Bali,” katanya.

Supriyadi mengatakan, sekarang ini di Trowulan tidak kurang terdapat 150 perajin cor perunggu dan kuningan, selain lebih kurang 500 perajin patung batu dan 150 perajin terakota. Keberadaan mereka adalah aset sekaligus penopang pariwisata Majapahit karena barang seni yang dihasilkan merupakan peninggalan Majapahit.

”Sekarang ini ada lebih kurang 75 perajin kapal Pinisi peninggalan Majapahit,” tuturnya.

Komunitas-komunitas perajin barang seni Trowulan mengharapkan pemerintah pusat segera menghidupkan pariwisata Majapahit.

”Perajin Trowulan hanya minta pemerintah pusat ikut memikirkan dan menghidupkan pariwisata Majapahit sebagaimana Borobudur dan Bali,” katanya.

Sumber: http://travel.kompas.com

700 Orang Ikuti Kirab Budaya "Lampah Ratri"

2011-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yogyakarta - Sekitar 700 orang dari berbagai elemen masyarakat yang difasilitasi Forum Persaudaraan Umat Beriman menggelar kirab budaya "Lampah Ratri" atau berjalan pada malam hari untuk memperingati Hari Kebangkitan Nasional.

"Kegiatan ini rutin kami lakukan setiap tahun untuk memperingati Hari Kebangkitan Nasional, dan pada tahun ini adalah penyelenggaraan keempat kalinya," kata Ketua Forum Persaudaraan Umat Beriman (FPUB) Abdul Muhaimin di Yogyakarta, Kamis malam.

Selain ditujukan untuk memperingati Hari Kebangkitan Nasional, kegiatan tersebut juga ditujukan untuk terus menumbuhkan semangat pemulihan pascaerupsi Merapi serta tata kelola budaya di Sungai Opak dan Code.

Seluruh peserta berkumpul di Monumen Jogja Kembali untuk kemudian berjalan tanpa boleh ada satupun yang mengeluarkan suara sedikitpun.

Peserta melewati titik-titik yang dianggap menjadi simbol bagi warga Yogyakarta yaitu Tugu dan Titik Nol Kilometer untuk kemudian finish di Pagelaran Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat.

Di setiap titik simbol tersebut, peserta kemudian melakukan prosesi doa bersama antar umat beragama dan rencananya seluruh peserta kirab akan diterima Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono (HB) X di Pagelaran atau kerabat keraton lainnya.

Selama perjalanan tersebut, peserta kirab budaya juga mengawal bende serta air kehidupan yang diambil dari tujuh mata air berbeda.

Tema yang diangkat dalam penyelenggaraan kirab budaya "Lampah Ratri" 2011 tersebut adalah "Merah Negeriku, Bersatu Bangsaku, Sejahtera Rakyatku".

"Rute yang dilalui dalam kirab budaya ini berbeda-beda karena menyesuaikan tema yang diangkat. Tetapi, selalu menetapkan keraton sebagai titik start atau finishnya," katanya.

Keraton, lanjut dia, tidak dapat dipisahkan dari kirab budaya tersebut karena merupakan simbol budaya yang harus terus dijaga.

Abdul mengatakan, kegiatan tersebut pernah diikuti oleh 5.000 orang, saat dilakukan pascagempa bumi Yogyakarta. (E013/S019/K004)

Sumber: http://www.antaranews.com