The Brunei Regatta is a popular annual event in the Sultanate. This year’s August regatta was followed by an exhibition organised by the Brunei Museums Department and a discussion that explored ways to promote friendship and foster closer ties with other parts of Borneo through participation in the regatta.

Dr Haji Tassim bin Abu Bakar from the Academy was a prominent speaker in the discussion. He recalled his childhood memories of the regatta from the 1970s when he was a boy living in Kampong Ayer (Brunei’s water village) and noted a number of differences between the event today and how it was carried out in the past. Dr Haji Tassim also highlighted the importance of the regatta and the participation of Brunei’s neighbours, stating that it has helped to maintain friendly and productive relations, irrespective of religion and language, and brought communities closer together.

The discussion took place at the Dermaga Diraja Art Gallery and participants expressed their hope that information about the regatta’s long history will be shared with younger generations who will continue to value its importance in the present and help preserve it as part of Brunei’s rich heritage.