Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) will be organising a “Tukang Cerita” (storyteller) competition, which is an interactive storytelling contest, in October.
DBP director-general Dr Hazami Jahari said the competition, to be held alongside the National Language Decade celebration, aimed to convey patriotic messages through literature in a more effective, widespread manner.
“In the past, we depended on traditional storytelling methods but now we are embracing digital storytelling, which aligns with preferences of the current generation.
“In the past, we had traditional storytellers like tok dalang, now we have tok dalang in a new digital era,” he told Bernama.
He said this following the launch of the book series Getting to Know Japanese Language and Culture, along with the Japanese Proverbs Dictionary and the Equivalent Malay Proverbs at Dewan Tun Hussein Onn, World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, as part of Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2024.
On the Getting to Know Japanese Language and Culture series, Hazami said it contained 16 titles tailored for easy comprehension by both Malaysians and Japanese.
He said the publication of these books was geared towards bolstering bilateral relations between Malaysia and Japan in the realms of language and culture.
“This isn’t a novel concept as our country continues to uphold the Look East Policy, first introduced in 1982, where language and culture have long intertwined.
“This publication serves as a follow-up to further strengthen these ties,” he added.
Hazami added that the publication of the book series was in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for the advancement of civilisation through knowledge.
“This initiative has garnered high praise and full support from the Japanese government,” he said.
