Sabah's ethnic literature has potential to flourish within, beyond Malaysia
Dr Henry Bating (front left) during the field research with FIB UNAIR students.
KOTA KINABALU (June 2): Sabah's ethnic literature has the potential to flourish both within and outside of Malaysia due to its recognition and support from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), as well as its relevance to communities and ethnicities within the BIMP-EAGA zone.
Senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Dr Henry Bating, said that the development of Sabah's ethnic literature — including that of Sarawak, the Chinese (Mahua), Indian (Kayvean/Tamil), Siamese descendants, and the Orang Asli — has directly received support from DBP through, among other initiatives, the annual multi-ethnic literature seminars.
'Meanwhile, the connection of Sabah's ethnic literature with communities in the BIMP-EAGA zone allows it to thrive beyond Malaysia's borders,' he said while delivering a guest lecture at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) in Surabaya, Indonesia on May 27.
Henry, who also chairs the Kadazandusun Language Unit at the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language (PPIB) at UMS, views Sabah's ethnic literature — due to its cross-border community ties — as a valuable resource to broaden students' understanding of the associated cultures and communities.
'Cultural and community knowledge can help students master listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, including singing, as part of the Kadazandusun language elective course offered at PPIB UMS,' he added.
The guest lecture and field research were part of an ongoing collaboration between FIB UNAIR and PPIB UMS that began a year ago.
Two senior lecturers from PPIB participated in the guest lecture program. Henry presented a lecture titled 'Sabah Ethnic Literature and Multiculturalism in Malaysian and Indonesian Literature', while Dr Shakiratul Hanany Abdul Rahman delivered a lecture on 'Malay Drama in the Teaching of English in Malaysian Secondary Schools'.
As part of the development of Sabah's ethnic literature, the Momogun Writers Association of Malaysia (Momogunsia) once organized a regional literature seminar involving presenters from the University of the Philippines (UP), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and the Central Kalimantan Cultural Board on October 22, 2016, at SMK Matunggong.
This cross-border seminar was financially and logistically supported by DBP and the Office of the Kota Marudu Member of Parliament, which was then represented by Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus J. Ongkili.
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