KUCHING: The Bermukun se-Borneo event, running from Nov 7 to 11, serves as a platform to celebrate and strengthen the shared cultural heritage of Bermukun across Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia.
Director of the Radio Programme Division at the Malaysian Broadcasting Department, Saifuzzaman Yusop, noted the unifying goal of preserving this tradition despite linguistic and dialectal differences among the three nations.
“Although we have different languages and dialects, this is not an obstacle as we share a common goal to preserve and pass down this cultural heritage to future generations,” he said during a press conference at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) Kuching, on Friday (Nov 8).
The initiative, which began in 2000, is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among the three nations.
Malaysia is represented by nine participants from RTM while Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia have each sent three representatives from Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB) and Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), respectively.
Diana Rusnawati, head of the RRI delegation, stressed the importance of instilling traditional practices like pantun (poetry), gendang (drumming), and Bermukun in the younger generation to counteract the influence of modern entertainment.
“We must encourage our youth to preserve the Bermukun culture so that it remains a vital part of our heritage,” she said.
Noor Hawadah Ramle, head of the Harmoni FM Unit and RTB delegation, noted that Bermukun is gaining traction among younger participants in Brunei.
“While traditionally more popular among the older generation, our efforts through competitions, workshops, and training have successfully engaged the youth, ensuring they carry forward this tradition,” she shared.
A live broadcast of the event will air on SARAWAKfm on Nov 9 from 8.30pm to 10.30pm, with streaming available on SARAWAKfm’s Facebook page and RTMKlik.
The press conference also saw the attendance of Wan Azhan Wan Hamat, director of Sarawak Broadcasting.
