travel brunei darussalam poem summary pdf

Travel Brunei Darussalam

by John Tiong Chunghoo

Bandar Seri Begawan weds the old and new -

roads, heritage buildings, museums, mosques, parks,

 a market by the river selling jungle produce

and of course the Jerudong Amusement Park

where late Michael Jackson performed for

the Sultan's 50th birthday - - almost 20 years

before the release of his last album, That's It

it is not the town though that revs one's spirit up

but the humble Brunei river that flows by it

the river opens one to the heart of the Sultanate

 here you could see the gleaming Sultan's Palace

the oil kingdom's diverse flora and fauna

as well as the way the Sultan's subjects live,

oil fuels the movements here and everywhere

sampans, motored boats go up and down

the waterway

there is even a little oil station on stilts

right in the middle of the river

for the boatman to fill up their boat tanks

the most poignant here are the

smart young generation during sunset hours- -

tudong clad malay schoolgirls

in long white blouse and ocean blue skirt

bleary eyed boys in white shirts, dark green long pants

with rucksacks on their backs get down from their boats

and rush to their wooden houses - home sweet home

a newly wedded couple

in resplendent traditional baju melayu

hold each other, smile and speed

away in their boat to their new nest

cococnut palms sway and

a Sharifah Aini song goes on air

while warm breeze blows

reminding me of a paradise on earth,

the egrets both the orange and black beak species

add grace to the to the picturesque river

the Malays call them banggau

I also have the Brunein luck to spot the

proboscis monkeys- monyet belanda

with their long flabby nose, humanlike faces

the males moving with their harem

at one end of the river the Sultan's Palace

where cutleries are made of gold

and waiters get thousands in tips

glistens over the waters

there also I could visualise the smile of the

man with the songkok on the blue dollar notes

the man who led one of the oldest Malay sultanates

which gave away Sarawak - my beloved state to the

White Rajah

                                                                              The End.. .

Travel Brunei Darussalam by John Tiong Chunghoo

Story Analysis by Christopher John Sasel

This opening part of the poem sets the stage for a journey through Bandar Seri Begawan, offering a glimpse of its rich cultural tapestry. It encapsulates the idea that a city can be a living testament to the past while embracing the present and future. The mention of Michael Jackson's performance serves as a reminder that even in a city steeped in tradition, there are moments of modernity and global connection. 

In 'Bandar Seri Begawan,' the poem portrays a theme of cultural fusion, depicting a city blending its past with the dynamism of the present. The juxtaposition of traditional architecture, museums, mosques, and parks alongside contemporary references like Michael Jackson's performance symbolizes the blend of old and new in the urban landscape. This fusion serves as a metaphor for the evolving nature of Bruneian culture, where tradition seamlessly integrates into modernity. It also highlights the resilience of culture against globalization, retaining its roots while embracing change.  

CULTURAL CONTEXT

The cultural context of 'Bandar Seri Begawan' showcases a city embodying the fusion of eras and influences, mirroring broader cultural dynamics in Brunei. The poem illustrates Bruneian society's ability to blend its historic past with contemporary influences. Architectural marvels and landmarks symbolize Brunei's deep-rooted heritage and traditions, preserved in the capital. References to modern pop culture, like Michael Jackson's performance, signify Bruneian society's openness to external influences, enriching their cultural experience. This portrayal encapsulates Brunei's cultural ethos, where tradition and modernity converge to create a vibrant and evolving society.

T he reference to Michael Jackson's performance for the Sultan's 50th birthday highlights the city's connection to global pop culture and its significance in the international scene. It shows that a Brunei are open for entertainment and embraces a diversified culture so that it transform to more interactive and peaceful country. 

LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Contrast: The poem effectively contrasts the historical aspects of the city with contemporary events like Michael Jackson's performance, emphasizing the dynamic nature of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Imagery: The description of the market by the river selling jungle produce and the Jerudong Amusement Park creates vivid images that draw the reader into the city's atmosphere.

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An Overview of the Language, Literature and Culture of Brunei Darussalam

• First Online: 27 February 2021

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• Hannah Ming Yit Ho 3  

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Brunei Darussalam (henceforth Brunei) is a small country about 5 degrees north of the equator on the northern coast of Borneo, an island it shares with the East Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah and the Indonesian territory of Kalimantan.

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Deterding, D., Ho, H.M.Y. (2021). An Overview of the Language, Literature and Culture of Brunei Darussalam. In: Ho, H.M.Y., Deterding, D. (eds) Engaging Modern Brunei. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4721-2_1

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Bruneian Literature in English: An Observation

Disclaimer: Most of my thoughts here are speculative and in no way constitute definitive statements on the state of Bruneian literature in English. For more rigorous analyses, I can point you towards some of my academic work on Bruneian literature in particular: I have an article in the Journal of Commonwealth Literature , a book chapter in The Use and Status of English in Brunei Darussalam: A Kingdom of Unexpected Linguistic Diversity , a forthcoming chapter in a volume called Women in Postcolonial Southeast Asian Literature and another forthcoming article in a special issue of the journal World Englishes . I discuss various aspects of Bruneian literature and narrative-making in English and Malay in these publications, including representations of women, horror story tropes, and the imaginative horizons of Bruneian fiction.

I have followed with interest the development of local writing movements, including original theatrical productions such as Jongsarat by non-profit organization Seeds , and the writing jams and Spoken Word events organized by indie publishers Heartwrite . When talking to people interested in these events, it seems to me that there is a general desire for literary and artistic community, but that there is also uncertainty about positioning oneself within a genealogy of Bruneian narrative-making. Faiq Airudin puts it excellently in his post about Bruneian Creative Industries and the tendency to “firstisms”; I hope this article will be of interest to Bruneian writers and readers interested in Bruneian literary history in English.

I leave it to someone much more informed than me to write something on Bruneian theatre and local productions (which I will obviously read with great interest).

Existing Bruneian literature in English

First, a look at the numbers. I’ve compiled what I think is a fairly comprehensive list of Bruneian literature in English (a version of this list first appeared earlier this year in the Springer chapter referenced above), although I strongly suspect that there are other works that I’m not aware of.

One of my motivations for writing this article for Open Brunei is to crowdsource information on Anglophone Bruneian literature  – defined in this article as literature written primarily in English, and is about Brunei or by a Bruneian . I’m hoping that if any readers know of a text that fits the criteria, you’ll let me know so that we can build a comprehensive corpus of information.

( Open Brunei team adds: Kathrina says she can be contacted at [email protected] )

Some facts and figures

(Click the tabs below to browse the tables for Fiction, Drama, and Poetry)

I’m aware that there are more texts that reference Brunei in part or whole, including at least one novel, Anthony Burgess’ Devil of a State (1961), and a few memoirs, including Rachael Ann Malai’s The Cow Jumped Over The Moon: The Strange and Extraordinary Tale of a Nervous Breakdown (2007), Jillian Lauren’s Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (2010) and Lizzie Harwood’s Xamnesia: Everything I Forgot in My Search for an Unreal Life (2015). But I don’t include non-fiction in my overview, and I’m not sure yet how to categorize Anthony Burgess’ work.

Based on the tables above:

• There have been 6 novels and 7 poetry collections written about Brunei or by a Bruneian
• There is only one anthology of scripts in English
• 12 out of 14 Anglophone Bruneian texts were written after the year 2009
• 5 of these texts were published in Brunei – 3 or 4 of these were initiated and compiled by institutions or agencies for education in Brunei (CfBT and UBD)
• 2 texts were published by the National Language and Literature Bureau ( Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka )
• At least 5 of these texts were published in Singapore (3 with Trafford Publishing)
• At least 4 of these texts were self-published

Observations

From the numbers above, we can make a few interesting observations.

• Firstly, there has been an exponential increase in the production of Bruneian literature in English since 2009 – that is, in the last 7 years. I have no idea what happened in 2009 to trigger this sudden output. I can hazard a hypothesis about the growing blogging culture in Brunei during that period and its relationship with an increased community of writers in English, but it would be speculative at best.
• Secondly, Bruneian literature in English has, by and large, been published outside of Brunei, with a strong bias towards self-published works . In the global community, there is less of a stigma associated with self-publishing than there used to be; self-publishing and vanity publishing are no longer interchangeable concepts. Partly this has come from a changing business model, influenced by such factors as the proliferation of e-books, the widespread appeal of fanfiction, cheap modes of production etc.
• Thirdly, the most obvious fact of all – there is quantitatively very little Bruneian literature in English . I’ve identified 14 texts above. Correspondingly there is a much more established corpus of Bruneian literature in Malay. Bruneian literature in Malay has a much older tradition than in English (although it is by no means objectively very old – the first Bruneian novel, “ Bendahara Menjadi Sultan” was published in 1951, followed by a novel in 1952 and then one in 1981. Prior to this, Syair Rakis , an epic poem widely considered the first modern literary text in Brunei, was published in 1847).
• Fourthly, there have been no published novels in English by a Bruneian female . Two females, Izzati Jamil and Flora Tavu, have published poetry collections; the only anthology of scripts in English was compiled and edited by Grace VS Chin. However, all the novels have been written by men.

I initially wanted to do some ethnographic work on the ethnicities, ages and other demographic properties of the writers, but I decided not to wade into that pool just yet. I think there’s a lot of stuff to mine there, but it should probably be done more rigorously and sensitively than is possible in this article.

Bruneian-ness as represented in Bruneian novels

For me, one of the interesting things about Anglophone Bruneian literature is the way that Brunei and MIB are represented.

Choice of Language

In some ways, one of my colleagues argues that the very use of English to write fiction remains a subversive choice, that resists the national imperative to prioritize Malay. Given how widely bilingual Bruneians are, I would posit instead that for many Bruneians, it is simply a pragmatic choice. I would agree however that possessing a good command of English has a cultural capital that is still tied to our relationship with the West, and with England in particular. In other words, because of our history as a former British protectorate, and the close relationship we continue to have with the UK, a good command of English is still something covetable.

This ideological relationship with the West may also have something to do with how Anglophone Bruneian novels are written. I suspect that Bruneian literature in English tends to mimic Western models and genres of literature. The Western settings and details are replaced with Bruneian ones, but otherwise the novels stick fairly close to the forms and content of Western literature, instead of exploring what a uniquely Bruneian literature in English might look like.

Ideologies and Themes

Due to all of these interesting implications in the use of language, I might have expected the values and ideology of Bruneian literature written in English to critique traditional Bruneian values and ideologies.

Instead, what I found was that the ideology and values in the Anglophone Bruneian novels I read were surprisingly conservative and traditional. This was particularly the case in Amir Falique’s The Forlorn Adventure , a time-travel novel about the first Bruneian astronaut who goes into space in 2014, and due to a series of events and cryogenic freeze, wakes up 500 years later. During the course of his code-breaking adventure, the protagonist, A’jon, visits the Brunei of 2550 and attempts to save the world from destruction.

Sci-fi novels as a genre tend to have a lot of resistant social commentary. The exploration of alternative dimensions, worlds, societies, often acts as an allegory or metaphor or analogy to critique the status quo. However, in The Forlorn Adventure , the exploration of time travel functions not to critique the status quo, but to reinforce it.

In the Brunei of the future, the symbols which have survived are symbols of national identity – the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque dominates an otherwise urban landscape of high speed transportation, the lush tropical rainforest has become a global tourist attraction, and the monarchy remains intact, with the Sultan of 2550 a direct descendant of the current Sultan. A shopkeeper with a (cringingly represented) Chinese accent emphasizes that racial boundaries are still intact. A’jon’s host is a Malay man who demonstrates his worldliness with his collection of Western paraphernalia. The values of Melayu Islam Beraja have survived (if not evolved) in the 500+ years since A’jon’s own time, clearly staking out its immutability as a timeless ideology.

Written in Black has a different approach to the idea of Bruneian-ness, which, while also largely uncritical, offers an interesting insight into the icons and symbols which have been earmarked as constituting a particular Bruneian culture.

A coming-of-age story of a Chinese boy modeled on Huckleberry Finn, in an attempt to bring his brother home for their grandfather’s funeral, Jonathan Lee goes on a series of adventures through Brunei. He encounters a poklen community, a sad shopkeeper (I feel like shopkeepers perhaps are a big theme in Bruneian literature) with voodoo dolls, and generally taking the reader on a ride through the “exotica” of Brunei. That poklens , bomohs and landscape come to stand in for Bruneian culture is an interesting comment on what is normative, what is exotic and novel, and the discourse of counter-cultures in Brunei.

In the anthology In the Spotlight , Brunei is represented in these plays as a place of limits and restrictions , which are seen as something to be preserved rather than defied. While deviant and transgressive behaviour is allowed to exist beyond the borders of Brunei, in the plays the transgressors willingly exile themselves. This behaviour suggests that while the transgressors are unable to stop their “deviant” behaviour, they nonetheless recognise the “deviance” of their behaviour, and still subscribe to the morality and ideology which codifies their behaviour as such. Their self-imposed exile also denotes their continuing loyalty to the values of the nation-state and their commitment to upholding this ideology.

For more of my thoughts on it and its place in the Bruneian canon, you can read the article I co-wrote with a colleague for the Journal of Commonwealth Literature (referenced in the Preamble).

In conclusion, Bruneian-ness in Anglophone Bruneian novels, it seems to me, subscribe to a reinforcement of national markers and narratives of identity.  1

Going Forward

Three things:

1. There’s still a lack of critical mass in Bruneian literature, both in English and to a lesser but still notable extent, in Malay. It’s definitely difficult as a scholar to work with such a paucity of texts. I suspect that as a writer, with so little literary heritage (in English) to draw on, the representative responsibility of writing an imagined Brunei is partly why novels have drawn on Western models. In Written in Black’s “Disclaimer” , KH Lim writes,

This is a work of fiction. Although many of the places, situations and people in the story are inspired by my own personal experiences while growing up in Brunei, most of the location names are made up and this book is not meant to be regarded as autobiographical in any way, nor is it meant to be taken as a definitive description of day-to-day Bruneian life.To the reader interested in learning more about Brunei, there is plenty of information available on the web for your perusal. Or better yet, you could go over and see for yourself.

So many interesting things to parse in this disclaimer! I’ll just pick this out – there is a clear acknowledgement of something scholars of minority literature have long known: for minority writers or writers who write about places or people which have known little literary exposure, they will (fairly or unfairly) encounter expectations of representation. There is huge pressure not only for representation, but to wholly and comprehensively represent their infinite multiplicities  and facets of reality. This expectation disappears only when there are enough voices and varieties of voices, reaching a level of quantity and visibility so that no single voice is expected to carry the weight of the whole.

2. There is a desperate need to develop and continue developing a culture of critique and conversation. Art thrives on scholarship, on readership, on critique and review and attention – art can resist, defy, refuse all these things, but it is always in conversation with it. Art that is only in conversation with itself, that does not push back against other minds and modes, will struggle to go anywhere. (I hope this will prove impetus for Hazirah to write a sequel to her excellent thoughts on a culture of critique in Brunei .)

3. Is increasing the quantity and quality of Bruneian literature in English dependent, to some extent, on government support ? I’m skeptical and also a little wary about this, but it’s worth discussing. It’s a question that often comes up in policy-making about the arts in the ASEAN and regional context.

There are so many more things that could be said or studied about Bruneian literature in English, creative communities in Brunei, and so on. I’m particularly interested in the material modes of production of texts; ideological work being done, the linguistic properties of Bruneian fiction, especially its bilingualism, and representations of religion. Increasingly, I’m also interested in the form that creative communities in Brunei have taken, and the function they serve in the Bruneian creative ecosystem.  2 I would love to hear from any readers on any or all of these.

I also want to acknowledge digital media and platforms and the important work sites like Songket Alliance and Mode Seram do in creating and encouraging a bulk and body of work by Bruneian writers. The prevalent trend of self-publishing and publishing Bruneian literature in English overseas suggests to me that “traditional” publishing in Brunei may not be the future of Bruneian narratives, for a variety of reasons that I won’t go into here (mostly because they’re highly speculative). I’m definitely excited to see the results of the recent Open Call for submissions on Bruneian identity by Heartwrite.

What are your thoughts?

• What do you think has contributed to increase in the production of Bruneian literature in English since 2009?
• Have you read the novels mentioned –  The Forlorn Adventure  or  Written in Black – and how do you think they represented Bruneian-ness?
• Finally, do you know of any Bruneian texts written primarily in English, and is about Brunei or by a Bruneian not mentioned? Please contact the author with the details!

Add your comment below!

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About kathrina mohd daud.

Kathrina reads books for a living. When she's not working, she writes a little fiction, hikes a few hills, and talks femaleness, art, love and life with friends and family. E-mail at  [email protected] , especially if you know of any Anglophone Bruneian texts!

Kathrina's acknowledgements: Many thanks to Hazirah Marzuke, Khairunnisa Ibrahim, Zuliana Masri, Ewana Yusop, Grace Chin, Maslin Jukim, Low Kok Wai and Faiq Airudin for their generous discussions and analyses on Brunei, Bruneian creative industries, and literature. I also want to acknowledge my students, who I tested a lot of the ideas in this article on. Editing & Formatting: Hazirah Graphic: Faiq

Assalamu’alaikkum. Pleasant surprise to find my poetry collection here… 🙂

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Travel Brunei Darussalam Poem – Bandar Seri Begawan – 2

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bandar seri begawan is a blend of the old and new – smart roads, heritage buildings, mosques,handsome parks, and a jungle produce market by the river where everyone could mingle for fun, for the produce and friendship to bring home but it is not the town that revs one’s spirit up it is the humblebrunei river that flows by it that can really cheer one up, make a tourist stay there is even a little oil station on stiltsright in the middle of the river they threw down a little bucket for the boatman to payafter he has filled up his tank and all the way we saw how the magnanimous and caring heart of the richest man on earth Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah flows our boat led us right into the heartland of the people and their lives, culture, heritage, floral and fauna there were schools the sultan built for his subjects, big buildings over the river, some on stilts where tudong cladmalay schoolgirls in long white blouse and ocean blue skirt smiledandbleary eyed boys inwhite shirts and dark green long pants looked at usas if we are from another world but yes we are – we pay income tax for every dollar we earn which the bruneins need not we even heard the sultanfoots in for their housing our boat ride had started after anewly wedded couple inresplendent traditional baju melayu went up their boat and sped away – to their new nest andhome the school children carriedmy heart away when i saw them got down from their boats and rushed, their rucksack behind them, back to their wooden houses – home sweet home aSharifah Aini song came on air while the warm breeze blowed almost reminding me of a paradise on earth,peaceful with a contented populace human aside the brunei river thrills the guide pointed out to us the graceful egrets which gave colours to the picturesque river the malays call them banggau which areof two species onewith black bills and legs and the the otherorange the river also afforded us the sight of the probosics monkeys that love to stay away from people theyhad always intrigued us with their long flabby nose, humanlike faces and the males’ extensive harem the malay prefer to call them monyet belanda or dutch monkey the sultan’s palace crowns one end of the river here too is heard stories of waitors getting many thousands in tipsand taps and cutlery made of gold the man with the songkok i saw on the blue dollar notes during the younger days has really fascinated me for the trip the man who helms one of the oldest malay sultanates which gave away Sarawak – my beloved state – to the British adventurer James Brooke and which latter became a Malaysian State at the hotel i was surprised to see one of his younger picturesand had asked the receptionist if it ‘s the sultan she promptly replied ‘yes it’s he.’ i laughed that i almost could not recognise him and the lady was quick to show me an offended face

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The tiny sultanate of Brunei is a remnant of a naval empire that once controlled all of Borneo and part of the present-day Philippines. Nevertheless this quiet darussalam (Arabic for 'abode of peace') has the largest oilfields in Southeast Asia (though they're due to run dry in 30 years).

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