UK - The Leeds University Union Brunei Society (commonly known as BruLeeds Society) recently organised a Brunei exhibition at Riley Smith Hall, University of Leeds.
It was the second big event hosted by the society since its establishment in 2007.
According to BruLeeds Society President Hamizah Hanim Haji Hamzah, the exhibition was held in conjunction with Brunei`s 24th National Day celebration and as part of the society`s effort to promote the country for the upcoming Visit Brunei Year 2009.
The primary aim of the exhibition was to expose and provide a lot of information about Brunei to the people studying and living in Leeds.
Leeds is a county dominated by students from different origins - both local and international. Some of the visitors had never heard of Brunei until the exhibition.
The exhibition was divided into several main booths, which included a photo booth, food stall, poster exhibition, video presentation as well as the Brunei Exhibition Challenge booth.
The photo booth gave visitors the chance to slip into traditional Brunei costumes for photo keepsake. The costumes included the `Baju Cara Melayu`, `Sinjang`, `Kain Sarung` and `Baju Kurung.`
Additionally, the visitors were able to discover about the Brunei`s culture, particularly the `Duduk Bertimpuh` and `Duduk Bersila`.
Pictures could be taken using the background similar to that of the local `pelamin,` which was custom-made by Rabi`atul`adawiyah Ahmad, one of the exhibition`s committee member.
The poster display and video presentation furnished visitors with a great deal of information on Brunei Darussalam. Most of the posters were designed by members of the society.
Meanwhile, the video presentation played clips of documentaries focusing on Brunei, its traditional dances and `gulintangan` performance.
The visitors were also able to enjoy a variety of Brunei delicacies sold at the food stall. This included the `Puteri Mandi`, `Kek Batik`, `Bingka Ubi` and `Air Kausar`. Proving popular at the exhibition was the Challenge booth, where visitors read a few lines in Malay in hopes of taking home a trophy.
The picking of the winner was based on the contestant`s fluency, confidence and clarity in speaking the language.
Most participants found the language quite easy to speak and some were even interested in learning it.
Visitors also had the opportunity to enter a lucky draw and win various prizes by filling in a survey form and answering a couple of Brunei-related questions.
The grand prize was a voucher entitling the winner to a two-night stay at Dorchester Hotel, a five-star hotel in London. Other prizes included an mp3 player, mp4 player, Datamax2, cocktail fountain, speakers and a Claude Valentini watch.
The event proved to be a success, given the number of positive feedbacks received. Most people found the exhibition interesting, interactive and original.
An undergraduate from the Sultanate of Oman, Fahad Al-Rusheidi pursuing BSc Geological studies, said he was impressed with the society`s ability in hosting an event despite the number of committee members being considerably very small (Rodziah Haji Adnan and Arif Juaini Junaidi).
Source: www.brudirect.com (19 Maret 2008)
