PEKAN: Tengku Ampuan of Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will provide employment opportunities to skilled prospects (inmates) in the Tenun Pahang Diraja craft through the Perkampungan Ihsan Al-Sultan Abdullah programme.
Tunku Azizah said the 17 prospects from Penor and Bentong Prisons who participated in the Tunku Azizah Cup for Tenun Pahang Diraja had inspired her to revive the heritage craft, while offering them a second chance upon their release.
“I cannot move forward without the Malaysian Prisons Department, which has helped me greatly. They gave me hope to revive the art of Tenun Pahang Diraja. Without them, I would not be standing here.
“I want to give them a chance to continue this craft (Tenun Pahang Diraja) once they leave prison,” she said in her speech at the prize-giving ceremony of the competition and the opening of the Temasya Warisan Pahang at the Pulau Beram Maritime Museum here yesterday.
The event was launched by the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
The Tunku Azizah Cup is a prestigious platform aimed at discovering creative weaving talents and recognising high-quality Tenun Pahang Diraja artisans, as well as promoting the heritage at national and international levels.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also launched the Yayasan Warisan Tunku Azizah, a foundation under the patronage of the Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja.
Meanwhile, Their Royal Highnesses viewed the ‘Lukisan Jiwa’ exhibition, featuring artworks by renowned singer Datuk M. Nasir.
— BERNAMA
