Mayor of Padang Mahyeldi Ansharullah on Friday stated that the meeting was regularly organized by the Padang Culture and Tourism Office, given the fact that there are 500 million Malays worldwide.
"But, the existence of Malays still needs to be strengthened through literature and culture by holding this event," he emphasized.
Mahyeldi pointed out that the meeting is in line with the vision of Padang city to promote itself as an educational, trade, and tourism hub in order to attain a prosperous and dignified society.
This especially holds true after Padang was proclaimed as the "Clean City" on October 25 and is free from trash and sin, he remarked.
"It is expected that literature and humanism will play a key role to convey the message to the public through literary works," Mahyeldi affirmed.
In 2012, the Padang Culture and Tourism Office held the first Man of Literature meeting through the Malay Archipelago Man of Literature gathering.
The meeting was held for the second time in 2013 and then in 2014 based on the theme, "Literature and Relevance to the Life of Malay Nation Allied Today."
Head of Padang Culture and Tourism Office Dian Fakri in his statement remarked that the Man of Literature gathering was held to promote ties below fellow writers, especially young writers.
The young man of literature was expected to be the successor to inherit the baton of the nation and the values of Malay culture, which is the core of Indonesian culture and the other countries allied to Malays.
Through the Man of Literature gathering, he hoped to promote multicultural dialogue and interdisciplinary approach for self-evaluation in the face of impending challenges due to globalization.
The Man of Literature meeting being organized between Thursday (October 30) and Saturday (November 1) is a platform for holding literary discussions on topics such as the Nations Educational Literature for Children, Movement Publications Literature, Literature and Film Performance, among several others.
(Reported by Siri Antoni/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
