INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING COMPETITION SET FOR OCTOBER – DBP

KUALA LUMPUR, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) will be organising the ''Tukang Cerita' competition, an interactive storytelling contest set for October, said its director-general Dr. Hazami Jahari. He said the competition, held alongside the National Language Decade celebration, aims to convey national messages through literature in a more effective and widespread manner. "In the past, we depended on traditional storytelling methods, but now we are embracing digital storytelling, which aligns with the preferences of the current generation. "This demographic is more accessible through modern means, particularly digitally. In the past, we had traditional storytellers like Tok Dalang, but 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 Malay Proverbs Equivalents at Dewan Tun Hussein Onn, World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), as part of the 2024 Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair. On the "Getting to Know Japanese Language and Culture," book series, Hazami said it contained 16 titles tailored for easy comprehension by both Malaysians and Japanese individuals. He added that the publication of these books is 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 by the fourth Prime Minister, Tun (then Datuk Seri) Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in 1982, where language and culture have long been intertwined. This publication serves as a follow-up to further strengthen these ties," he said. Hazami also highlighted that the publication of the book series is 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. We anticipate heightened efforts in the futu re to publish books in numerous other foreign languages," he added. Source: BERNAMA News Agency