Asia Dance Channel

Public Talk & Demonstration by Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin: A Visit to Japan Has Changed My Life
10 November 2009
Orchestra Hall, Aswara

By Chong Yem Meng

After a visit to Japan under the Foundation of Japan Invitation Programs for Cultural Leaders, Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin was invited by Akademi Seni Budaya and Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) to give a talk about his experience. The visit to Japan has somehow changed Professor Ghouse’s perception to life quite significantly. The main reason his perception change was due to the interaction with the Japanese and also his performances for them during his visit there.

Before he began to talk about his experience, he wanted the audience a feel of Japan. By doing so, he brought out an ancient Japanese Bamboo Flute called Shakuhachi and plays for the crowd. After a few attempts, Professor Ghouse managed to blow the flute and it projected a calm sound with rhythms of an ancient Japanese song.

The visit to Japan has shown Professor Ghouse that the people of Japan are well disciplined and showed great respect for each other and especially to their environment. He mentioned that the Japanese people’s attitude towards life is all about harmony – in the way one interacts with the environment, and the way they preserve the environment.

Currently arts education in Japan focuses on modern and traditional arts; but there is a slight twist when it comes to modern arts. The National Theatre Japan Foundation promotes traditional arts in their theatre. He said that, compared to ASWARA, which just promotes, preserves and conserves arts through performances, the National Theatre deals with it in a more intense way. The National Theatre also conducts special performances for school children as a means of promoting traditional arts to the younger generations. But the younger generations are also influenced by western culture, and to deal with this, Japan has introduced one theatre, the new National Theatre, dedicated to western performances.

Later on, Professor Ghouse presented slide shows of photographs of his visit to Japan. He took the trouble to provide a running commentary describing preservation efforts and the importance of arts in Japan. Amongst the more memorable pictures are spectacular sceneries of palace gardens, the Hiroshima Historic Memorial – the place that was destroyed by the atomic bomb, and others. He also showed us a picture of a mosque in Japan, which is open to everyone.

Professor Ghouse wishes to visit Japan once again as he explains that a part of him is still there, that is, the knowledge of arts that he has imparted to the Japanese people through his performances of traditional dances.

Lastly, he urged ASWARA to adopt some of the ideas practiced by Japan’s National Theatre and to intellectualize our arts to other countries.