JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 27 – 11 international students consisted of 10 Nigerians and 1 Pakistani had successfully participated in a Trilateral Cross-Cultural Program: Wonderful Nusantara Festival 2024 on 27th October 2024. The cultural embracing event was organised by Yayasan Warisan Johor at Kompleks Warisan Sultan Abu Bakar, Johor Bahru.
Wonderful Nusantara Festival (WNF) is a platform conceived to strengthen the trilateral relationship between Johor (Malaysia), Indonesia and Singapore through a cross-cultural program and open opportunities for primary, secondary school students, university students, and youth from within and outside the state of Johor to experience the rich and unique culture of Nusantara.
The opening of WNF 2024 was completed by the YB Raven Kumar Krishnasamy, Chairman of the State Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage Committee as the official representative of the YAB Menteri Besar of Johor, accompanied by honorary dignitaries, Sigit S. Widiyanto, Consulate-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Bahru; Timothy Tan Jia Jie, Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Johor Bahru; Fairuzahri Jalaluddin, Director of the Johor Heritage Foundation; and Mrs. Wan Su Ali, General Manager of the Johor Corporation (JCorp) Foundation.
Through this program, the participants were exposed to the customs, traditional cuisine, art, language, and cultural heritage of the three countries, thus fostering a sense of love and respect for the beauty of similar Nusantara cultural heritage. The program includes a cross-cultural tour where the participants were exposed with the traditional architecture designs of Rumah Limas Johor, Johor Art Gallery, Rumah Zapin and Laman Seni Warisan. The highlight of WNF 2024 was exhilarated by the exquisite and awe-inspiring performances by Community and Youth of Singapore, Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor, dan Gabungan Mahasiswa Anak Johor Kebangsaan (GAJ).
Raven Kumar congratulated and praised the effort of implementing a strategic coalition of WNF 2024, especially for JCorp Foundation, Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia Johor Bahru, Consulate General of the Republic of Singapore Johor Bahru, Malay Heritage Center of Singapore (MHC), National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore (MCCY), Global Education & Experience Unit (GEE) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), GAJ & Sekolah Malaysia Johor, and made the WNF 2024 program a success.
WNF was organized last year, for the first time which involved sole participation from Indonesia and this year’s has been intensified with participation from Singapore. The Wonderful Nusantara Festival program will continue to be expanded by inviting participation from the country of Thailand in 2025 and the country of Brunei Darussalam in 2026 to intensify the momentum of the Year of Visiting Johor 2026.
By: Norfaeza Ali and Norahim Ibrahim