KUALA LUMPUR: Berita Harian (BH) once again organised the poetry recitation event "Malam Puisi Riong" in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to cultivate interest and love for literary arts, the Malay language and the cultural heritage among Malaysians.
Themed 'Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa' (Language, the Soul of the Nation), this edition of Malam Puisi Riong aims to bring together National Laureates (SN), writers, poets, declaimers and poetry singers, uniting various generational layers on the poetry stage to celebrate BH's 66th anniversary.
The event was officiated by NSTP group managing editor and BH group editor Datuk Ahmad Zaini Kamaruzzaman, who said that the longstanding poetry recitation event, branded under BH, further exemplifies the newspaper's unwavering commitment to the literary world.
"BH highlights language, culture and literature through four focused pages every Sunday.
"It covers news and articles on various issues, also providing space for short stories and poetry that offers readers the opportunity to create creative works regardless of their background," said Ahmad Zaini.
"However, it is not limited to just those four pages because BH also provides four general feature pages every day, namely Muka Sepuluh, Pages 11 and 12, and Minda Pembaca, which can undoubtedly be utilised by writers, authors, and literary activists to express their views.
"Furthermore, from time to time, BH broadcasts literary, language, and cultural news, whether local or international, on the digital platform bharian.com.my and on social media such as Facebook and Twitter," he added.
Also present were the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul; Chairman of the Management Board of DBP, Datuk Dr. Anwar Ridhwan and Director-General of DBP, Dr. Hazami Jahari.
Among those in attendance were the Group Editor of Harian Metro, Husain Jahit; Group Editor of NST, Farrah Naz Karim; Deputy Editor-in-Chief of BH, M Thillinadan; and Chairman of the Riong Poetry Night Committee, who is also the Director of Weekly News/Features BH, Mohd Nazmi Yaakub.
Riong Poetry Night has become a tradition of BH's poetry appreciation, not only since the 1980s but also expanding its reach to public universities (UA) from 1997 to 2003.
In 2009, its organisers revitalised the event with Malam Puisi Riong: Gelora Kemanusiaan 2009. Riong Poetry Night has been held in UAs across the country, collaborating with various non-governmental institutions and organisations (NGOs). The last Riong BH Poetry Night event took place in 2017.
Ahmad Zaini also recited a poem about the current situation in Palestine, which is gaining increasing attention and sympathy from the people of Malaysia, thus receiving exclusive coverage from BH.
This edition of Malam Puisi Riong featured two National Laureates, Datuk Dr. Mohd Anuar Ridhwan and Datuk Rahman Shaari.
The event was further enlivened by Pyanhabib, a legendary poet known for works such as 'Suara,' 'Saraf Dukaku,' and 'Balada Pyanhabib'; Sabri Yunus, a comedian, actor, singer, host, director, and writer and his wife Ardini Angeline Tan, who is also a comedian and actress.
Other poetry readers included Dr. Ghazali Din, a lecturer at the Faculty of Language and Communication at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI); Fathia Latiff, a model and actress; and Dr. Norzizi Zulkifli, Head of Performing Arts Studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Also featured in tonight's Riong Poetry Night were a zapin dance performance by the UPSI Cultural Club, led by Dr. Muhammad Fazli Taib, and the singing performances by Namira and Ash Anuar.
Riong Poetry Night was hosted by TV3 personality Ahmad Fedtri Yahya.