THE year 2021 marks 50 years since the National Culture Congress 1971, a landmark moment that sought to forge a national culture in Malaysia. The National Culture Congress and the corresponding National Culture Policy were the culmination of efforts to define Malaysian culture.
It was also to build a foundation for national harmony in the wake of the racial riots of May 13, 1969.
While some of the original intentions of the National Culture Congress of 1971 still resonate in contemporary Malaysia, the framework of a National Culture Policy does not always reflect the organic and ever-evolving complexity of Malaysian cultural life.
It is both pertinent and timely, then, to revisit and critically appraise the aspirations and ramifications of the National Culture Congress of 1971, through opening a space for public discussion and collective reimagining of the foundations of Malaysian culture, particularly among cultural practitioners across diverse communities and fields.
In this spirit of reflection, critical appraisal and reimagining, cultural organisation Pusaka, literary journal Svara, Cendana and the Faculty of Creative Arts and Universiti Malaya are collaborating on an initiative to mark 50 years since the National Culture Congress of 1971.
The initiative aims to reflect on the historical, social and political context that gave rise to it, problematise aspects of its approach as subsequent development through the National Culture Policy, as well as explore possibilities for the present and future.
A hybrid two-day symposium, The National Culture Congress 1971 – A Symposium 50 Years On, will be held on December 11-12 at Universiti Malaya, the original site where the National Culture Congress in 1971 was convened.
This symposium will gather cultural practitioners and experts from diverse communities and fields to critically appraise the development of culture in Malaysia since the Congress and the formulation and implementation of the National Culture Policy.
“In the intellectual spirit of 1971, this symposium will explore the role and influence of the National Culture Policy in the formation of our national character, while reimagining the foundations and possibilities of Malaysian culture,” remarks Eddin Khoo, founder-director of Pusaka, and one of the curators and organisers of the symposium.
According to Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehuddin, founder and chief executive officer of Cendana, “For Art In The City 2021, a programme curated for the benefit of the public, the creative industry stakeholders are broad.
"This includes a symposium to mark 50 years since the National Culture Congress, to uphold Malaysian culture which encompasses our multiracial and multicultural society. Our cultural unity symbolises the resilience and harmony of the Malaysian people, who always come together to ensure that our plural society continues to support efforts to strengthen our country’s socio-economic status.”
The symposium will take place at the Experimental Theatre, Universiti Malaya, and will also be live-streamed. It will feature distinguished and experienced speakers from diverse fields including Culture, Arts, Heritage, Local Knowledge, Literature, History, Education and Policy.
The speakers are: National Literary Laureate Prof Muhammad Haji Salleh, scholar and writer Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican, former Minister of Education Dr Maszlee Malik, anthropologist Dr Welyne Jeffrey Jehom, ethnochoreologist and ethnomusicologist Prof Mohd Anis Md Nor, celebrated dancer and dean of Aswara’s Faculty of Dance Zamzuriah Zahari, deputy dean of the UM’s Faculty of Creative Arts Dr Roslina Ismail, filmmaker Muzzamer Rahman, musician and scholar Adil Johan, and Salehhuddin Md Salleh, deputy director-general, National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN).
The symposium will be moderated by Eddin and scholar-activist Dr Teo Lee Ken. The discussions from the symposium will later be compiled and published in book form.
In conjunction with the symposium, Pusaka will also present a Wayang Kulit performance by Kumpulan Wayang Kulit Sri Warisan Pusaka from Machang, Kelantan on the night of December 11 at the Experimental Theatre, UM.
To attend the symposium in person, register at: https://bit.ly/3DFzF1f
The symposium will be live-streamed on the Cendana, Pusaka, dan Svara Facebook pages. – The Vibes, December 10, 2021
