A carefully curated photo exhibition has opened in Butterworth to commemorate the past eight years of HAWANA, Malaysia's National Journalists' Day celebration, while simultaneously highlighting the lives of journalists and media veterans who have benefited from the Tabung Kasih@HAWANA welfare fund. The gallery, organised alongside the HAWANA 2026 Summit scheduled for the PICCA Convention Centre @ Arena Butterworth, provides visitors with a visual journey through the milestones of a celebration that has become central to Malaysia's media community.
Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, chief executive officer of Bernama (Malaysian National News Agency) and chair of the HAWANA 2026 Working Committee, explained that the exhibition operates as two distinct yet complementary sections. The first segment traces the evolution of HAWANA from its inception in 2018 through 2025, showcasing pivotal moments and key activities across the years. The second section presents portraits and narratives of Tabung Kasih@HAWANA recipients, offering viewers insight into how the fund has transformed the lives of media professionals facing health challenges or financial hardship.
For Bernama, this exhibition marks a significant moment of public visibility. As the secretariat of Tabung Kasih@HAWANA and the implementing agency of the national celebration, the news agency has historically worked behind the scenes, its contributions to supporting the journalism industry remaining largely invisible to the broader public. Nur-ul Afida emphasised that the gallery serves as a platform to acknowledge both the media's vital role in society and Bernama's commitment to supporting its own. By placing recipient stories front and centre, the exhibition underscores a central message: that the journalism profession extends solidarity to its own members during times of crisis.
The curation of the photographs reflects meticulous planning by the Bernama Photo Desk team, with editor Mohamad Bakri Darus overseeing the selection process. Each image has been paired with bilingual captions in Malay and English, ensuring accessibility for all visitors regardless of their language preference. This thoughtful approach to presentation acknowledges Malaysia's multilingual audience while maintaining clarity of context. The decision to provide dual-language support demonstrates an understanding that journalism serves diverse communities across the nation.
Beyond its commemorative function, the exhibition serves as a nostalgic touchstone for media practitioners who have attended previous HAWANA celebrations. Over the past eight years, the event has moved across Malaysia, reflecting the nation's geographical diversity and ensuring that journalists from different regions can participate. The gallery recalls these journeys: celebrations held in Kuala Lumpur twice (2018 and 2025), Melaka in 2022, Ipoh in 2023, and Kuching in 2024. This rotational approach has enabled the celebration to strengthen connections between journalists in major media hubs and those in regional centres.
The range of activities documented in the exhibition illustrates the comprehensive nature of HAWANA's programming. Strategic partner meetings have brought together industry stakeholders to discuss pressing issues facing journalism. Media forums have provided platforms for substantive dialogue on reportage standards and ethical practices. The HAWANA-DBP Pantun Festival, named after Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the national language council), has celebrated Malaysia's literary heritage through the traditional pantun form. Meanwhile, carnival and exhibition components have created informal spaces for networking, while sports competitions have fostered camaraderie among journalists from competing newsrooms and outlets.
Modhammad Bakri stressed that the exhibition reinforces a critical message about journalism's interconnectedness with Malaysian society. Rather than presenting journalism as an isolated profession, the photographs collectively demonstrate how media practitioners engage with their communities, support one another, and remain integral to the nation's social fabric. This perspective is particularly relevant in an era when trust in media institutions faces challenges globally. By showcasing concrete examples of professional solidarity and mutual support, HAWANA counters cynicism about the industry.
The timing of this exhibition is significant. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will officiate the HAWANA 2026 Summit, lending governmental recognition to the journalism profession and the welfare initiatives that support its practitioners. This high-level attendance signals that supporting journalists and maintaining a healthy media ecosystem are matters of national importance. For journalists attending the summit, the presence of a sitting prime minister at a celebration dedicated to their profession affirms their role in Malaysia's democratic institutions.
The Tabung Kasih@HAWANA fund itself represents a distinctive Malaysian approach to professional welfare. Rather than relying solely on government or corporate charity, the initiative channels support through the journalism community itself. This model reflects values of collective responsibility and mutual aid that resonate deeply in Malaysian culture. By documenting the impact of this fund through recipient stories, the gallery demonstrates tangible outcomes: journalists who have received medical assistance, career support during transitions, or financial help during personal crises.
For journalists outside the exhibition's immediate geographic reach, the gallery's bilingual presentation and careful documentation create a record that can be referenced, shared, and celebrated across Malaysia's diverse media landscape. The photographs transcend the moment of their creation, becoming historical documents that future generations of journalists can consult to understand the profession's values and commitments during this period.
The exhibition ultimately reflects a profession taking stock of itself. As Malaysian journalism navigates transformations driven by technological change, shifting audience behaviours, and evolving economic models, HAWANA provides space for the industry to celebrate its contributions, acknowledge its challenges, and reaffirm its solidarity. The photo gallery, by making visible what often remains behind the scenes, contributes to a broader public conversation about journalism's place in Malaysian society and the importance of supporting those who dedicate their careers to reporting the news.
