Odou Bakanjar potential as tourism product
KUALA PENYU: The Odou Bakanjar celebration of the Tatana community has the potential to become a tourism product, especially in Kuala Penyu district. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the richness of the country’s ethnic and cultural treasures is an important asset in the tourism industry, which in turn drives the economy of Sabah’s people and state. He said Sabah had many ethnicities and was rich in its cultural traditions. For example, the Tatana ethnic community in Kuala Penyu is one of the most important ethnic groups in Sabah. “As such I hope that ethnic festivals like Odou Bakanjar will be a tourism product as it will attract more tourists from within and outside to Sabah,” he said, at the 6th Odou Bakanjar Celebration, at the Cultural Village, here, Saturday.
The text of his speech was delivered by Sabah Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick. Shafie said the Odou celebration also serves as a field to showcase the customs, art and culture of the Tatana people so that this heritage continues to be passed on to the younger generation.
“I hope the younger generation has a strong interest in learning and inheriting this valuable culture. The younger generation should not be overwhelmed by the sophistication of gadgets and social media alone. “I believe this effort will preserve the ethnic culture which includes food, dance, traditional music, clothing, language, literature, customs and so on which is an ethnic identity,” he said. Shafie hopes through the Odou Bakanjar, the spirit of friendship and unity among the community would continue to thrive and be preserved. “This is because unity is an important asset to drive the development of the state,” he said. In addition, understanding the culture of a society and ethnicity is important as it will foster a sense of brotherhood within the community.“The high spirit of brotherhood will further strengthen the friendship and unity among all ethnic groups in the state. This unity will ultimately help to maintain a peaceful environment in Sabah and Malaysia in general,” he said.
Source: Daily Express
