ACTRESS Datuk Fauziah Nawi and singer Noraniza Idris were among 238 graduates honoured at the Culture and Arts Leadership Body Convocation in Petaling Jaya recently.
The ceremony, organised by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry through the National Culture and Arts Department (JKKN), was held to recognise arts and culture graduates.
The department is the industry leading body for arts and culture, appointed by the Skills Development Department (JPK) of the Human Resources Ministry in 2018, and is responsible for boosting the development of practitioners of arts and culture.
The convocation was to appreciate and recognise arts and culture activists who met the National Occupational Skills Standard through the Malaysian Skills Certification System, the Recognition of Prior Achievement and the National Dual Training System in dance, theatre, music and stage productions.
At the ceremony, 81 graduates were honoured.
They comprised 46 theatre actors and actresses, 50 musicians, 19 stage performers, and 43 choir singers and dancers under the Permata Seni programme.
Each of them was a participant in the Malaysian Skills Certification Programme, and they came from government departments and agencies, corporations, non-governmental organisations, performing arts production companies and cultural groups.
Other artistes honoured included Roslan Madun, Rojer Kajol, Datuk Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, Rosli Rahman Adam and Mohd Kamrulbahri Hussin.
Also honoured were theatre actor Kamarul A.R., Terengganu choreographer Che Wan Noorsaidi Che Wan Ab Rahman or Mok Zah and gambus performer Mohd Radzi Othman from Perak.
The ceremony was officiated by ministry deputy secretary-general for management Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot. Present were JKKN director-general Mohd Amran Mohd Haris and JPK representative Faizah Harun.
The convocation saw performances by Fauziah, Roslan, Rojer Kajol, Noraniza, the JKKN Dance And Music Group and the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy (Aswara) Gamelan Music Troupe.
Amran thanked the graduates for showing strong commitment to raise the standard of performing arts.
"I would like to congratulate everyone who has been honoured and recognised at this event.
"You have contributed immensely to the creative industry and taken it to great heights with your hard work.
"Organising programmes such as this one will encourage more arts practitioners to come up with world-class work and share their knowledge with society,"
Fauziah, 71, from Ipoh, is an actress, director, television host and radio announcer.
She served as one of the contestants' instructors in Akademi Fantasia.
A one-time Radio 4 RTM announcer, she has excelled in films, theatre plays and television dramas, and her best known plays include 'Dari Bintang Ke Bintang', 'Opera Ayu Cendana' and 'Salina'.
Fauziah, who obtained her masters' degree in creative arts from Open University Malaysia in 2018, is best known for starring in the films 'Mawar Merah' and 'Sayang Salmah'.
She received the Panglima Jasa Negara award last year.
Noraniza, 56, from Kluang, Johor, began her singing career in the 1980s, and gained fame after participating in 'Bintang RTM' 1985.
She has six albums and is a six-time Anugerah Industri Muzik winner, as well as a four-time Anugerah Juara Lagu winner.
Her best known songs are 'Seri Balas', 'Hati Kama' (a duet with Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza) and 'Dondang Dendang'.
She participated in reality show 'Gegar Vaganza 7' in 2020.