sabah
BWM Talk Series: Sabah: Untold Stories of the Past by Avtar Singh
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Organised by Badan Warisan Malaysia.
Live Webinar Details
Date: Saturday, 8 June 2024
Time: 10:30 AM (Kuala Lumpur, GMT+8)
Venue: Virtual – Zoom Webinar
Free Admission
Click HERE to register.
ABOUT THE TALK
Sabah: Untold Stories of the Past touches on little known aspects of history many Malaysians may not realize or know about Sabah and it’s history in brief. This includes the people of the land, migration in and out of Sabah, relationships with China and India, the establishment of a Brunei Sultanate that ruled over Sabah for over 400 years till the early to mid-19th CE when there is a decline in Brunei influence over Sabah coastlines and how it’s past relationship through marriage with members of the former Sulu Sultanate has led to claims of ownership in the mid-17th CE till today over Sabah.
The arrival of the Portuguese and then the Dutch and English change the landscape of trade and relationships between various kingdoms and Empires in South East Asia including Borneo.
Brunei’s decline in its Sphere of Influence and control over the Sabah coastlines was caused by a number of internal and external factors which led to Sabah first becoming an American colony before a hand over and signing over of ownership to the Europeans.
This leads us to the demands for independence and self-rule before talks for a merger to form Malaysia and the pressures of the world forced its political leaders to agree to a merger to form Malaysia.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Avtar Singh spent over 20 years in the retail industry in Malaysia and began a transition into private historical research and writing in 2016. He presented his first historical talk in 2019 on The Battle of Midway and how that particular battle changed the Pacific War. He has since collaborated on debunking the false narratives of the Sulu Sultanate’s claims over Sabah and presented several historical papers on Sabah History and has tried to present a more accurate version of history of Sabah that has largely been missing from history books and story-telling.
He presented his findings to a national audience on the false narratives of the Sulu Sultanate in mid-2023 that has helped the Malaysian Government to challenge claims over Sabah in European Courts.
He is currently attached to the Goethe Institute of Germany as a private historical researcher and currently produces his own podcast @AvtarSinghHistory.
BWM Talk Series: Community Engagement Programmes in the Conservation of Heritage Buildings in Sarawak, Malaysia by Professor Dr. A Ghafar Bin Ahmad.
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Badan Warisan Malaysia is pleased to kick start our events this year with our BWM Talk Series on the topic, “Community Engagement Programmes in the Conservation of Heritage Buildings in Sarawak, Malaysia” by Professor Dr. A Ghafar Bin Ahmad.
Date: 20 January 2024
Time: 4.00PM
Venue: Virtual via Zoom Webinar
Click HERE to register!
About The Talk
Sarawak has more than 15 forts built during the Brooke administration over the period of 100 years. Under the (then) Antiquities Ordinance 1958 and the Sarawak Cultural Heritage Ordinance 1993, these heritage forts have been gazetted and conserved by the Sarawak Museum Department in lieu of heritage values for future generations. Under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2016-2020), the Government of Malaysia through the Sarawak State Government and related government agencies including Sarawak Museum Department and Sarawak Public Works Department has allocated an amount of RM25 million to restore five colonial forts in Sarawak including Fort Emma (located in Kanowit), Fort Hose (Marudi), Fort Lili (Betong), Fort Brooke (Julau) and Fort Sylvia (Kapit). Accordingly, under the provisional sum of the project contract, Fort Emma received an allocation of RM45,000, Fort Hose RM35,000 and Fort Lili RM20,000 to conduct community engagement programmes with the local folks including ritual ceremonies, workshops, dialogues, site visits, public awareness and publicity.
Community engagement programme is a vital component in any heritage building conservation project because it allows the local communities to garner a deeper understanding of the significance of their cultural heritage; to encourage and facilitate community insights, views and feedbacks about the current project; and to nurture trust and foster relationships among the various stakeholders. This talk focuses on the community engagement programmes conducted during the conservation projects of three selected heritage forts of Fort Emma, Fort Lili and Fort Hose in Sarawak.
About The Speaker
Dr. A Ghafar Ahmad is a professor at the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Building Conservation) from the University of Sheffield, UK, Master of Architecture (Urban Design) from Kent State University, Ohio, USA; and Bachelor of Science (Architecture) from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. He is a registered conservator under the Department of National Heritage (JWN); and an Honorary Curator (Building Conservation) for the Sarawak Museum Department. He is also a member of the National Heritage Council, ICOMOS Malaysia, National Heritage Council, and Chairman of the Architectural Heritage and Landscape Committee (under JWN). He was the International Correspondent from Malaysia for Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), Nara, Japan (2008-2022) and Penang Technical Review Panel (2010-2022).
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