The Brunei Darussalam International Islamic Calligraphy Festival (BDIICF) 2024 will be held from October 16 to 18 at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Berakas.

The festival, organised by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah through the Centre of Islamic Calligraphy and Art Studies (PPKKI), is the first of its kind and in collaboration with Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) and Turkiye’s Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). A cooperation agreement for the festival was signed online with IRCICA and in person with UNISSA and KUPU SB on July 12 at the Yayasan premises in Jalan Jerambak.

The event was chaired by Acting Assistant Managing Director (Special Service Project) of Yayasan Samsudin bin Haji Puasa; Assistant Ra’es of KUPU SB Dr Haji Abang Hadzmin bin Haji Abang Taha; Deputy Director of the Centre for Promotion of Knowledge and Language at UNISSA Dr Norashikin binti Yusof; and Acting Officer of the PPKKII Hamdy bin Emran.

Themed ‘Empowerment of Islamic Arts Calligraphy’, the festival will feature several activities including an opening ceremony, a keynote address by the President of the National Calligraphy Art Association of Malaysia, and the prize presentation for the 2024 Regional Islamic Calligraphy Competition, organised by Yayasan and IRCICA.

The festival will also include an International Islamic Calligraphy Exhibition, paper presentations, workshops, and a spontaneous calligraphy competition. Workshops will be conducted by renowned calligraphers, including Belaid Hamidi from Morocco, Efdaluddin Kilic, Sayed Depeler and Necati Sancaktutan from Turkiye, Dr Abdul Rahman bin Hamzah from Malaysia, Didin Sirojuddin from Indonesia and Dr Haji Mohammad Shahrol Azmi bin Haji Muluk and Adiyusnira bin Haji Johari from Brunei Darussalam. An exhibition featuring the winning works from the 2024 Regional Asia Calligraphy Art Competition will be held at the Muzakarah Hall. Other works contributed by Yayasan, UNISSA, KUPU SB, and IRCICA will also be displayed. Calligraphy demonstrations by experts Efdaluddin Kilic and Belaid Hamidi will be among the highlights.

In conjunction with BDIICF 2024, the Regional Asia Islamic Calligraphy Competition attracted 158 participants from 19 countries. The competition, organised in collaboration with IRCICA, features four categories: Tsuluts, Nasakh, Diwani Jali, and Diwani. Participants had from March 1 to August 30 to submit their entries.

A total of 123 entries from 11 Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, were accepted for judging. Twelve winners will be announced, with three winners in each category. They will receive their prizes during the festival’s opening ceremony. – Rokiah Mahmud