GEORGE TOWN, May 5 — Reading books on diversity and unity may be good to create the initial awareness among children, but a multifaceted learning approach would be better to keep pace with the younger generation today.
Recently, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said children need to be exposed to the culture of reading, especially books about the diversity of races and religions in this country, to cultivate a knowledgeable generation and foster a spirit of unity.
Paul Au, general manager of the Penang Harmony Corporation (Harmonico), a state agency set up to bridge interfaith understanding, said that relying solely on books falls short in effectively educating children about unity and diversity.
“An engaging hands-on programme is crucial for maximising the impact. While books provide initial awareness, experiential learning allows children to truly appreciate the beauty of Malaysia’s diversity,” he said in an interview with Malay Mail.
He added that social media, if used correctly, can also be a powerful tool to cater to the shorter attention spans of the younger generation.
His views are echoed by cartoonist and author, Azmi Hussin, who wrote and illustrated The Little Mamak that showcased the Indian Muslim tradition based on his childhood.
“We have to follow the times, young people are more into social media so maybe use that medium to reach out to them,” he said.
He said reading culture is now lacking so something must also be done to cultivate reading among children and to show them that reading is cool.
“If we want to teach them about diversity and unity, we need other ways aside from books. If you remember, the old movies by Tan Sri P. Ramlee have messages about diversity and family values, so maybe we should encourage people to watch more of his movies,” he said.
Azmi also illustrated a record-breaking 150-metre long comic strip three years ago titled Saga Kami that tells the story of different cultures, customs and practices of three different Malaysian families that evolved around a Proton Saga car.
“It would be the perfect book to promote diversity and unity but I am still in discussions with sponsors to get it published as a book,” he said.
Where and what to start reading
Founder of Clarity Publishing, Rosalind Chua, said the fostering of reading habits has to start from young and at school.
“School textbooks and reading materials need to be more interesting for the younger generation and not just something they need to pass examinations,” she said.
As for teaching children about diversity and unity, she said it was not as simple as buying diversity-related books for children, otherwise the issue would have been solved by now.
“I’m not sure if books have any impact on Malaysian students’ these days, most probably prefer to look at their handphones,” she added.
She said politicians will also need to be consistent in eradicating racism instead of encouraging it while the mass media has to stop giving racists a platform to air their views.
However, the books she would recommend that children read to learn more about diversity included Mengapa Kita Tak Boleh Berlebihan (Why Can’t We Take More?) by Dendangan Hep, Lye Tuck Po and PeyCanKay, Fatimah’s Kampung by Iain Buchanan, The Little Mamak by Azmi and The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf.
She said all of the books by Malaysian cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, popularly known as Lat, also showcased Malaysian unity at its best.
Harmonica’s Au said the way forward is to organise more immersive programmes for the young to engage them and expose them to diversity through first-hand experiences.
“We referred to an activity book titled Our Malaysia: Multi-Cultural Activity Book for Young Malaysians for some of the activities we organised in our outreach programmes to foster an appreciation for our diverse culture, so books are still helpful but they cannot be the sole source of learning,” he said.
Among the programmes Harmonico had organised included the Batu Ferringhi Community Library Outreach Programme, a Bangsa Malaysia programmes that was held in collaboration with Pusat KOMAS, and the Jelajah Harmoni Seberang Jaya that lets school students learn about the different cultures through visits to different houses of worship.
“Instead of emphasising on reading, hands-on activities, experiential tours, and even social media can play a significant role,” he said.
