Brunei Travelogue
Brunei - visited in July 2006
Hello fellow readers, children, travelers, artists,
I am now in the plane bringing me back to Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia from the tiny kingdom of Brunei Darussalam, where I have spent a short week working there in 2 schools on Art in All of Us´ activities. Through the window I can admire a last time the dark blue of the South China Sea encircled by ribbons of black dark clouds. I hope we will not get again a typhoon in the region, but it looks scary outside. No angel in sight. They are all hiding. The pilot even did some muslim prayers in the microphone just before the take off. Surprising and creepy at the same time. Well, I am sure that it is part of the normal procedure in this proud muslim country of less than 350,000 inhabitants. Thus, half of them are foreigners doing all the work the Bruneians don’t want to do. Most of them are Filipinos, Chinese, Malays and some Indians making this country a lot more diverse culturally than it sounds like.
Brunei is a country of contrasts. It is ruled by a Sultan who is at the same time President, Prime Minister, Chief of Army, and collects all the money from the petrol. Since he has so many responsibilities, he finally decided that he should get some rest for his 60th birthday, and has established a parliament: the first Bruneian parliament is now under construction (the entity itself, as well as the building!); he has already decided to give a brand new window job to some parliamentarians, asking them to set up a legal system.
The job description is not yet available for these positions, but keep posted on the sultan website if you are interested. But I have to tell you that even though he´s got a lot of money, he doesn’t pay well at all! Big news in the sultanate: he gave his 5000 civil servants a big salary raise of 1%!!! (actually the first one in 20 years of fellow service).
In two decades, he will be 80 and may even decide to give them 2% extra. Such a strict management of his money may be the way he got quoted wealthier than Bill Gates in 2000 and gathered more money than 6 billion people on earth! Feeling embarrassed by his own selfishness, he decided to give some money to casinos, the Nasdaq where he used to gamble, some more to private resorts where he likes to dive, and to some catering services because he really enjoys partying out and inviting the 5000 richest persons of the country to have fun with him. However, he also cares for his people. Brunei indeed has a free university… however anyone who has some money still goes to Malaysia, New Zealand or the UK to study. There is almost no choice in the studies available and learning is limited to 3 years.
Since his nomination in 2000 as one of the wealthiest persons on earth, and after 6 years of crazy expenses, he has lost 80% of his fortune in spite of the incrise in the price of the petrol by 300% over the same period. By the way, petrol still represents 95% of the income of the country… euhhh I mean of the sultan´s and some of the 5000 employees of Shell´s income.
Well let’s stop criticizing one man, and let’s talk about the wonderful people of Brunei. For a second time in my life (the first time was in Myanmar), I have found a country where most of the smiles of the adults were as genuine and spontaneous as children´s. A real child smile … not a business oriented smile. One who shouts you welcome, my friend and not one begging “please buy from my shop”. One who is ready to help, one who is curious to learn. I have spent two days in the floating villages close to the capital. About 30.000 persons have been living there for generations. I was told that all the bruneians were living there before, as the land was used for cemetery… people then used to live on the water instead. Well, there are still 30.000 persons keeping this tradition. They succeeded to install electricity and running water in the village. Still, waste management is missing to make their life and their village perfect and healthier. Seen from above, it can look like a huge pool of garbage….. but let’s close our eyes for a while and play with the children around! Every sunday they have a national wooden boat race. I will miss it unfortunately, but I got a prime demonstration only for me (keep posted for some amazing pictures !). They took their boat in the water and began to paddle with some rectangular hand size wooden boards (without any handle…imagine how hard it can be). Amazing how fast they can get. I have ridiculously tried to imitate them, but I was so slow and weak compared to them !
After all those floating smiles, other kids´smiles were expecting on the land, at school. It was slightly more difficult for me, though... Children were marvelous and full of energy, as they are anywhere we have been…. However the school and the teaching method were loathsome. is the education method (if there is any) comes from another age. The stick in one hand, the teacher forces the children to repeat and copy. It is so astonishing and even shocking to see that, in such a rich country, that has, or could have so many opportunities to offer better education! I have even lost inauspiciously my temper when trying to launch our poetry workshop. First time it happens to me I think, and I feel quite embarrassed about it. I have asked the children to write about their country, what THEY feel about it, how they see it, what they like or not about it….. The teacher then translated and explained it by a one man show propaganda and dictation to the children, telling them that Brunei is the most beautiful country of the world, that it is governed by a big sultan who is called tralala. Then he praised the liberty in his country, the square miles and the number of districts… he was just killing any bit of imagination and creativity the kids would have had, thinking by themselves!
I tried to intervene, telling him he should not mislead the children and he should give them free road to their imagination and creativity. Hmmmm…. I don't have the feeling he knew the meaning of that word …. And he just ignored me and my timid suggestion. He then asked the pupils to open their book and recopy page number 26, on the goodness of the sultanate. I was literally boiling in myself when suddenly I heard my mouth saying "children, please close your books and open your imagination!"
The teacher had just lost the face in front of his pupils, and so, he faded away quickly and never gave look at me again! I tried to work therefore on our own way with the children. But it was a little too late as most of the pupils had already copied page 26. We made then some creativity and geograp<hy games and I tried to do better on the drawing workshop which had surprising results (please be patient, we have still important delay in putting galleries online…).
Then I left that school for another one. I taught the pupils some photography. Their smiles and amazed look after being able to touch a camera for the first time in their life gave me a boost and motivation. I could also convince them to take part to our Pen Pal Program (www.artinallofus.org/programs.htm). It will give those children the opportunity to have new eyes on the world. Any school interested in exchanging with them, please raise the hand !!
Yesterday night, I have spent a couple of hours in the empty streets of the capital Bangar Seri Bagawan. The sultan´s 60th birthday was still going on. A lot of lights in the street, and some vain efforts to make it into a fun place with balloons and games… but nobody was playing nor dancing, except probably the sultan in his palace with some VIP guests, drinking some heavy alcohol in spite of the Sharia, the islamic law. I could see some street vendors still hoping for a client to pass by and have something to eat. But noone was celebrating outside, only some hungry dogs who might spend a happy night.
Now, don’t get me wrong... Brunei is definitely a nice place to visit and its people are genuinely friendly and welcoming. I was hosted by a Chinese-Bruneian. His warm reception was marvelous. He showed me around and opened my eyes to the local culture, and my taste buds to the local spicy food. He is a forensic scientific, but doesn´t have a huge work load in a country where the crime statistics show less than 5 murders a year!
However, be warned if you want to visit Brunei, since there is almost no public transportation or touristic infrastructure, but hitchhiking is working just great inside and outside town with such friendly people.
One last anecdote before closing down this already too long travelogue…. Yesterday, I was hitchhiking under a heavy sun. I was sweating a lot and probably already stinky, when two little boys saw that strange outsider holding the thumb up, from their two storey house. They called their dad and asked him what that weird man was doing. He explained them that I was trying to catch a ride… and they abruptly begged him to bring me wherever needed…. According to their father , their prayer was like “hey dad, how can you leave a man waiting under the sun, without water while YOU are doing nothing at home except watching TV”…. Probably, the man felt guilty by the frankness and kindness of his kids, and brought me to the capital, … 40km away…..!!! This shows you how nice and genuine children can be and teach their parents to be kind, nice and open….. please let your children express themselves !!
I recall also one kid from Syria telling me a couple of months ago that there was no difference between him and other children. Unfortunately, when growing up adults are inventing differences. That boy was totally right, in the end we all come from the same place: from the belly of our mother !
Plane is reaching destination…. And children living in a refugee camp are expecting our visit next week in Timor Leste. We will probably write again soon a new travelogue from this second newest country of the world.
All the best,
Anthony
Brunei July 2006
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