11.2.5 : Arts and heritage contribution
UTM Cultural Club
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) makes a substantial and ongoing Arts and Heritage Contribution to the local community by maintaining an expansive and diverse institutional programme of cultural clubs. This structure ensures a continuous output of annual public performances across multiple artistic disciplines.
- Quantitative Scale of Contribution: In 2024, the Cultural and Oratory Section (Seksye Kebudayaan & Oratori) facilitated the operation of 13 established clubs plus the pre-existing Ratib Serambi, resulting in a minimum of 14 distinct cultural groups. This significant number of active groups establishes a robust, ongoing university programme dedicated to the arts.
- Diverse Performance Disciplines: These 14 clubs cover a broad spectrum of the local arts, directly fostering various types of public performances:
- Choirs/Orchestras: Groups like the Southern Voice Philharmonia (Orchestra & Choir) and AKSAR RESAK (Music Group) directly contribute to musical public performances.
- Theatre/Drama: Teens In Theatre (Drama Theater) ensures a contribution from the university's theatre groups.
- Traditional Arts: Groups like Citra Daksina (Traditional Dance), Gasabau (Traditional Kadazan Dusun Dance), and Kirana Razak (Music Group) actively preserve and showcase local and regional cultural heritage.
- Institutional Framework for Talent: The section serves as a platform for students "to cultivate and to practice various skills in the fields of music, dance, theatre, testing and visual arts". By actively developing this talent through structured groups, UTM guarantees a pipeline of performers who engage the public, ensuring the contribution is an "ongoing programme" rather than an ad-hoc effort.
The operation of at least 14 diverse cultural clubs—spanning dance, music, theatre, and traditional arts—confirms UTM’s extensive and organized contribution to local arts through structured, annual public performances.
Source :
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a288c048da.html#page/44
Wonderful Nusantara Festival 2024
The Wonderful Nusantara Festival (WNF) 2024 highlights UTM's commitment to arts contribution, showcasing the university's role in a strategic, trilateral cultural exchange that strengthens ties between Johor (Malaysia), Indonesia, and Singapore.
- Public Performance by University-Affiliated Group: The festival featured "exquisite and awe-inspiring performances" that included the Gabungan Mahasiswa Anak Johor Kebangsaan (GAJ), a student-based organization affiliated with UTM. This performance serves as a direct contribution to local arts by a university group.
- Ongoing Programme and Future Commitment: The WNF is explicitly established as an ongoing programme, having been organized the previous year (2023) and now intensified in 2024 with Singaporean participation. UTM is integrated into the planning, with the Global Education & Experience Unit (GEE) being listed as a strategic coalition partner that made the event a success. Furthermore, the festival plans to continue expanding, inviting Thailand in 2025 and Brunei Darussalam in 2026, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the programme.
- Cultural Heritage Preservation: The festival’s core purpose is to allow participants, including university students, to "experience the rich and unique culture of Nusantara". Participants were exposed to cultural heritage through traditional architecture (Rumah Limas Johor), the Johor Art Gallery, Rumah Zapin, and Laman Seni Warisan.
By partnering with the Johor Heritage Foundation on the Wonderful Nusantara Festival, and successfully deploying its student groups (GAJ) for public performances, UTM demonstrates a substantial and sustained arts and heritage contribution as a core component of its ongoing community engagement programme.
Source :
https://news.utm.my/2024/11/wonderful-nusantara-festival-2024/
