AICREATIVV congratulates Kitani Kreatif on the recent launch of Kitani Berkongsi; a creative economy insight series!
Aimed at sparking conversations with Brunei’s creative scene, the first session: “Where are Brunei’s Cultural and Creative Industries Going?” took a closer look at what’s been happening in Brunei’s cultural and creative industries (CCI) and where things might be headed.
Let’s take a look at the start of something exciting for Brunei’s creative community!
A Packed Room of Creatives
Around 50 people from various creative backgrounds showed up—think artists, musicians, comedians and people in advertising and broadcasting. It wasn’t just industry pros either.
Students, freelancers and people who were simply curious about Brunei’s creative scene were all there. There’s a lot of interest in figuring out how to push Brunei’s cultural industries forward, with some attendees even taking notes like they were back in school!
What’s the Deal with Brunei’s CCI?
Key speaker, CEO and co-founder Nuur Aqilah Ali, dove into the details of Brunei’s creative landscape.
At the moment, there’s no official definition of what exactly falls under Brunei’s CCI, so Aqilah came up with a rough guide based on local and international research.
It’s a starting point to better understand what we’re talking about when we say “creative industries” in Brunei.
Aqilah also touched on an important point about how creativity in Brunei is shaped by both everyday cultural practices – what she calls culture with a small ‘c’ and more formal artistic expressions; Culture with a capital ‘C’.
It was an interesting way to look at how our unique way of life and traditions play into Brunei’s creative output and how we might commercialise it.
IP: The Untapped Goldmine
One of the most eye-opening parts of the presentation was about intellectual property (IP) and how we’re not fully using it to its potential here in Brunei.
Aqilah highlighted the need for creators to protect their work with IP, which is key to making sure they benefit from their ideas.
She gave two great examples:
Lily Chiam’s music programme which is IP-protected and licensed in China
Siti Kamaluddin, who continues to earn royalties from her film Yasmin being archived in North American universities
These stories show how protecting your creative work can open up serious opportunities.
Creativity Is More Than Just Business
While it’s tempting to focus on money, Aqilah made a strong case for looking beyond just the economic value of Brunei’s CCI. Sure, it can bring in revenue, but that’s not the whole picture.
She talked about how Brunei’s creative industries can support the country’s Vision 2035 (Wawasan 2035) and contribute to social, cultural and even spiritual growth. Basically, creativity has the power to positively impact a lot more than just our wallets.
“To only focus on the economic value of the cultural and creative industries is devaluing it.” — Aqilah
And I think she’s got a point—there’s a lot more at stake here.
A Conversation That Kept Going
What’s cool is that even though they didn’t plan for a Q&A, the event turned into an open discussion. People had great questions, like whether Kitani Kreatif would help map out Brunei’s CCI. Aqilah said they’re interested, but the project would need to be led by an expert.
Another standout moment was when someone asked if Brunei needs a “cultural reset” to better understand its roots. Aqilah’s answer was thoughtful—she didn’t think a reset was necessary since culture always changes. Instead, it’s more about learning to embrace diversity and evolve with it.
One emotional moment came when a non-CCI audience member of mixed heritage shared their struggles with connecting to their Bruneian culture.
They were hopeful that as Brunei’s creative industries grow, future generations will find it easier to feel that connection.
It was a touching reminder of how deeply creativity and culture are tied to our sense of identity.
What’s Next for Kitani Kreatif?
This was just the first of many things to come from Kitani Kreatif. Here’s what’s on the horizon:
More Presentations for Key Players: Kitani Kreatif will be sharing their presentation with ministries, universities and embassies soon. They also plan to make it publicly available on LinkedIn after that.
More Kitani Berkongsi Sessions: They’re planning to host more sessions like this, but they won’t all be presentations. We can expect workshops, panel discussions, showcases—anything that gets people talking about Brunei’s creative economy. If you have ideas for topics, they’re open to suggestions!
Kitani Film Club: A monthly film club is also in the works, where local and regional films will be screened, followed by discussions to dive deeper into their cultural and artistic significance.
Creative Economy Week 2025: Get ready for the return of Brunei’s work festival, set for 2025. It’ll be all about celebrating creativity across different industries, just like the events held in 2019 and 2020.
Final Thoughts
Kitani Kreatif is making some big moves to boost Brunei’s creative industries. There’s a lot of potential here and it’s exciting to see a group actively working to spark conversation and collaboration within the CCI.
Whether you’re a creator, a student or someone just interested in Brunei’s creative future, Kitani Kreatif is definitely worth keeping an eye on. If their first event is anything to go by, there’s a lot more to come!
As one of Brunei’s design agencies, AICREATIVV can’t wait to see where Kitani Kreatif is headed next. With our current Social Media Marketing landscape, we believe they’ll go far!
We’re happy to have helped them with their branding and identity design and look forward to more collaborations in the future.
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