On a bright May morning, a crowd gathered at the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum, buzzing with excitement for the launch of Meneroka Warisan, a crossword puzzle book aimed at encouraging the exploration of the nation’s museums.
Muhamad Sharul Amin bin Morshidi, the author, shared the journey of compiling the book’s contents.
Meneorka Warisan or Exploring Heritage, is an interactive exploration guide designed around crossword puzzles, he said.
Over the span of three months, he and five colleagues visited the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum; the Malay Technology Museum; the Royal Regalia Museum; the Belait District Museum; and the Brunei Energy Hub Dermaga Diraja, collecting information and compiling questions about their galleries, exhibits and artefacts.
After that, they spent the next four months editing and filtering out the questions before the book was finally published.
On May 18, the book was launched in conjunction with International Museum Day at the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum.
He said those purchasing the book can be called peneroka, or explorer.
“Each explorer is tasked with completing the questions by visiting the specific museum mentioned on each page.
“This interactive format encourages readers to actively engage with the cultural heritage sites, transforming their reading experience into a captivating exploration of Brunei’s rich history and artefacts,” said Muhamad Sharul.
He said the book encouraged the peneroka to find answers hidden within the exhibits and artefacts, adding that they can discover clues and information within the questions.
“Usually, when we visit the museum, we tend to just walk around and look at the exhibited items, sometimes overlooking an object’s historical importance. We often overlook key details,” he said. “This book encourages the peneroka to concentrate on specific galleries and exhibits, gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of our heritage.”
As an incentive, explorers who complete the puzzles within the book by August can receive a special reward, he added.
Muhamad Sharul said there are plans for a second edition, with broader scope to enrich the experiences of explorers even further.
“We want visitors to have a fulfilling and educational experience,” he said. “The second edition will offer more in-depth insights and additional aspects of our museums.” – Rokiah Mahmud
