Professor Kang Champions Jawi Writing In South Korea

By Fadzli Ramli MELAKA (Malaysia), June 6 (Bernama) -- This writer was elated upon seeing the photo e-mailed by Professor Dr Kang Kyoung Seok, a Korean expert in Jawi (Arabic) alphabets. With one click, the photo revealed the professor patiently teaching his students in South Korea how to spell out the words 'nasi goreng' (fried rice) and 'durian' using Jawi characters. Apart from feeling proud and happy over the academician's efforts in handing down the scripts to youths in a foreign country, this writer is also awed by Kang's determination in preserving the Jawi alphabets. The 61-year-old academician with round-framed glasses is determined in upholding the Jawi scripts. Since the writer befriended Kang in January 2012, the man continuously reminded the writer to keep Jawi writing alive so that the younger generation could learn and perpetuate the scripts. Initially this writer felt odd that a foreigner would advise him to defend his own heritage. Kang even explained to the writer that such advice was necessary for Malaysian youths because if the Jawi alphabets are forgotten in its country of origin, then its fate is sealed. JAWIOLOGY Kang returned to South Korea in January 2013 after a sojourn in Malaysia and began a programme on Malaysian culture and Jawi writing at the Daegu University of Foreign Studies (DUFS) in Daegu, South Korea on March 1, 2016. He had opted for a change after serving the Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS) since 1982, mainly due to his love for Jawi. "I see DUFS as a university with potential and it has the resources that could help me study and introduce Jawiology (knowledge on Jawi writing)," he said in an e-mail. Kang, who was appointed DUFS' Faculty of Southeast Asia dean, also established the International Jawiology Centre at the university where he conducted studies on Jawi writing. "My Jawiology lectures have been well-received as my photos indicate. You can see how interested young Koreans are in learning the writing. It is my dream that more youths, especially those in Malaysia, are as enthusiastic to learn Jawi," he added. EDUCATION SYSTEM According to Kang, like other universities in the world including Malaysia, universities in South Korea place importance on the employability of their graduates. Therefore, the universities create programmes that fulfill the needs of the market and companies to the point that they neglect the efforts to instill heritage values in students. "I respect the university's policies and wants, but as an academician, I want graduates to learn about their heritage and that of other countries so that it becomes part of their identity and ensure they become a generation that appreciates what is around them. "These are the kind of people we want to produce, not a generation who work only for a salary and are solely focused on work. A generation like this would never move forward," he claimed. Prior to DUFS, he was not given enough opportunity to teach Jawi because he was required to teach according to the university's syllabus to ensure its graduates' marketability. For example, he said universities in South Korea which have a faculty for ASEAN studies mostly focus on studying the Indonesian language because many South Korean companies have invested in Indonesia. "Graduates who know the Indonesian language can be sent to manage Korean investments there, but ASEAN is wide in terms of language and heritage. Some say that knowing the Indonesian language is like knowing Malay, but I beg to differ as the two languages are different," he continued. STUDYING JAWI Kang said besides being given the freedom to teach Jawi, DUFC also offers him space to conduct research on the topic through the university's International Jawiology Centre. With Kang as its director, the center is now actively doing research on the history of the Jawi script. "There is a theory that Jawi writing has existed in Malay states since 1303 with the discovery of the stone with inscriptions 'Batu Bersurat' in Kuala Berang, Malaysia's east coast state Terengganu, but there is a possibility that Jawi writing came about even earlier. "Surprisingly, the writing on the stones itself indicate Jawi was not new then and this shows it may predate 1303, which brings us to another theory that Jawi was already around circa 1000, which we are studying," he said. According to Kang, DUFS is working towards cooperating with other universities and institutions in Malaysia on studying and learning Jawi. Besides that, DUFS will also invite experts on the subject matter to teach and guide students in Jawiology. "We already have established cooperation with univers ities from Indonesia but DUFS wants to work with Malaysian universities. This is important because Jawi is from there, so we need to collaborate with universities from Malaysia," he said. NOT JUST FOR THE MALAYS Kang opined that as Jawi originates from Malaysia, it belongs to all Malaysians regardless of their background. The 1Malaysia concept is the best platform for young Malaysians to learn and understand cultural heritage from a multi-racial community, especially Jawi writing. Kang recounted how he was intrigued by the past generation of non-Malays, especially those who lived on the east coast and their skills in writing in Jawi as well as their fluency in Bahasa Melayu (Malay language). "I'm a Korean who can write in Jawi because I love Jawi. I also love Malaysia. All Malaysians should love Jawi because it is their heritage, not just the Malays. "If the Koreans love Jawi, there is no reason why Malaysian youths cannot love the Jawi as much as me," he said. --ERNAMA