KUALA LUMPUR – This year marks three decades since the establishment of the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) as a higher education institution under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia.
Starting in 1994 as the National Academy of Arts (ASK), ASWARA not only produces artists and employees, but also plays an important role in uplifting art, culture and national heritage.
Names such as Namron, Sherry Alhadad, Nad Zainal and Amyra Rosli for example, are talented actors and celebrities born from the academy.
According to the Rector of ASWARA, Dr Tan Awang Besar, ASWARA’s 30-year journey has ‘grown up’ the academy that started as a small institution until it became famous and acted as a ‘guardian’ of tradition and culture while at the same time, innovating in line with current demands.
He said, the Pearl Jubilee celebration (30 years) that raised the theme Stepping Together, Forward With Traditionis symbolic of ASWARA’s journey since the academy was established.
“ASK was created to unearth and hone young talents in the arts, so that they can enter the creative industry. ASWARA now functions as a continuation of ASK with a bigger mission in meeting the country’s art and culture needs.
“We carry the original motto (Stepping Together, Forward With Tradition) as the ‘spirit’ that animates ASWARA.
“We at ASWARA always use the National Cultural Policy (DAKEN) as a guide in determining future strategies and action plans. This is the path we are taking to take ASWARA forward,” he told Bernama recently.
UNIQUENESS OF ASWARA
Tan, who took over ASWARA’s administration since July 1, said that although 30 years may be considered too young to measure the maturity and achievements of an institution, the fact is that ASWARA has overcome many challenges.
“ASWARA is the only cultural arts education institution under MOTAC. This makes us unique because our focus is on art, culture and heritage as a whole.
“We are proud of this responsibility and will continue to carry out this trust wholeheartedly to produce more new talents. Many have matured ASWARA, especially through the fields offered from the basic level to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD),” he said.
According to Tan, through the offer of existing study programs, ASWARA also provides a lifelong learning space for those interested in art, culture and heritage.
“We have seven faculties including theatre, writing, animation, multimedia, fine arts and film that provide comprehensive learning for students. The three available study centers focus specifically on the areas taught in the faculty to empower students’ skills.
“Many of our graduates are now directors, singers, screenwriters and actors who are active in the industry,” he said, adding that ASWARA received praise for the quality of its students thus proving ASWARA’s role in shaping artistic people.
ASWARA AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL
Sharing the initiative in upgrading the function and role of ASWARA to the global level, Tan said, ASWARA has established collaborations with several art institutions from foreign countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
“We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with art and cultural institutions from the ASEAN region and most recently with the Philippines. They bring experts for the master class at ASWARA, and this is one of the examples of the collaboration we run,” he said.
He added, ASWARA students who are very talented in the field of fine arts to produce works in China and India, where their works are not only appreciated but reach the value of tens of thousands of ringgit and is considered a proud achievement for the academy as a whole.
“ASWARA plans to open the recruitment of foreign students from ASEAN regional bloc countries for PhD programs next year.
“In addition, we are committed to improving teaching standards and the competence of teaching staff to ensure that lecturers can provide the best education to students with a high level of knowledge. Teaching staff will be encouraged to be active in writing and presenting papers at international conferences which will give them new experience and knowledge.
“In the future, all lecturers will have at least a Master’s qualification, and we will also give recognition to those who qualify with the title of Associate Professor or Professor,” he said, adding that the effort is to ensure that ASWARA lecturers are always relevant to the latest developments and can bring home knowledge that is more useful for students.
MERONG MAHAWANGSA SAKTI THEATER
In conjunction with the Pearl Jubilee celebration, ASWARA will revive a great legendary epic through the staging of the special musical theater Sakti Merong Mahawangsa, a work that is expected to become history in the world of theater performance in the country.
The Sakti Merong Mahawangsa musical theater tells the story of Merong Mahawangsa, a figure known for his courage, tenacity and loyalty in building Kedah Zamin Turan (now the state of Kedah), involving a combination of ASWARA alumni, lecturers and students.
Tan said that the script was chosen because of its epic value and greatness of narrative, besides being able to catalyze collaborative efforts involving alumni who were once ‘born’ ASWARA.
“Merong Mahawangsa is a great saga that needs to be lifted up. This staging is one way we bring the nation’s heritage to life in a larger and high-impact context.
“Alumni are like children of ASWARA and the continuity of this relationship is shown through joint collaboration in a big project like this. They understand the needs of the students and also help in producing great performances.
“This celebration is not just about the past, but about how we bring this art and culture into the future. We don’t want our art and heritage to be just remembered but we want this aspect to live on, be appreciated and celebrated,” he said.
The musical theater that will be staged at KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) from November 22 to 24 is expected to receive an extraordinary response from fans of the homeland’s theater arts regardless of age.
Bringing together more than 100 talents of ASWARA alumni, it will feature a cast including Najua P Ramlee, Hairi Safwan, Fadhli Masoot, Aris Kadir, Fiza Thomas, Ezdianie Hayatie, Saiful Wazien, Amirul Hakim and Reza Mohamed.
Hoping that ASWARA will continue to be an institution of excellence in art and culture that is respected regionally and internationally, Tan described ASWARA’s achievements as the result of the efforts of all its citizens and that the main challenge that needs to be faced is to ensure that the art and culture heritage remains sustainable and is not lost to the times.
“Every citizen of ASWARA needs to have the awareness and determination that art, culture and heritage are treasures that need to be preserved together. Cultural art is our common property and must be protected at all times. This is the determination that needs to be in every ASWARA citizen,” he said. – Named