The Head of the Undergraduate Program in Malay Literature at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FCS), Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Arie Azhari Nasution, S.S., M.A., together with faculty members and students, participated in the 4th Dialogue of the Indonesian Malay Scholars Association. The event was held in the Al Huda Hall at Universitas Pembangunan Panca Budi (UNPAB) on Thursday, 9 July 2026.
The event began with opening remarks by the Daily Chair of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Malay Scholars Association, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ilmi, M.Sc., Datuk Daksa Bhakti Negara, followed by remarks from Tuanku Achmad Thala'a Syariful Alamsyah, the 9th Sultan of Serdang, and concluded with a speech delivered on behalf of the Rector of Universitas Pembangunan Panca Budi by Dr. H. M. Isa Indrawan, S.E., M.M., Datuk Teruna Wangga.
The first presentation was delivered by Abu Abdillah Fahmi, S.T., Head of the Tanjak Tengkuluk Arts Center of the Serdang Sultanate. In his presentation, he shared his professional experience and educational contributions as a practitioner and promoter of tanjak and tengkuluk traditional Malay headwear at both the national and international levels.
The second presentation was delivered by Dr. Tengku Mira Sinar, M.A., a cultural heritage expert and specialist in Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for North Sumatra Province. She highlighted the importance of safeguarding cultural assets through their official registration as Intangible Cultural Heritage. She emphasized that documentation and formal registration are not merely administrative procedures but strategic efforts to integrate Indonesia's cultural heritage into a national big data repository.
"Through systematic documentation and legal recognition, our ancestors' intellectual heritage can be protected, verified, and preserved as an accessible database for the dissemination of information and future cultural research," said Tengku Mira Sinar.