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Kota Kinabalu: The National Cultural and Arts Department (JKKN) will document the cultures and arts of the various ethnic races in the interior of  Sabah and Sarawak. Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said this was important in order to preserve the originality of the traditional practices and cultures in the two states and free from adulteration especially from external influences. "The State JKKN Director with our guidance at the centre will start recording and document into several volumes the research on the ethnic races and music as well as drama and traditional songs in the interior villages in Sabah. "This is also relevant to Sarawak when we start building their Cultural Complex within the allowed period under the 10th Malaysia Plan," he said when met after opening Sabah JKKN Complex together with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Saturday. The Minister said audio-visual of cultural performances would be recorded in a high quality by the State JKKN and become part of the national cultural arts references. On the official opening of the complex, Rais said it not only reflected the strong ties between the federal and state governments but also further empower the national cultural arts struggle. "We will produce actors, maybe writers, artists in various fields of art and culture apart from drama, theatre, music and other traditional cultural practices," he said. The cost of the complex that started to be built on Dec. 12 2007 and completed on Jan 3 this year was RM20.4 million, which was less than its actual cost of RM25 million. Among the facilities at the complex are an auditorium with a capacity of up to 600 people, studios, open air stage as well as spin top court. He recalled that at first it was a bit difficult for the project to take off since the area was occupied by local squatters, which in the end was resolved by hard work from all quarters, especially the State Government. Quoting a famous anthropologist, Rais said culture can be a factor to unite the people and setting aside political and other differences among them. Musa in his speech commended the Ministry for its sensitivity to build the interesting and beautiful complex with its traditional motifs. "It depicts the harmony and unity spirit among the people of Malaysia in the state just like the Prime Minister's recognition that Sabah is the best model for the 1Malaysia spirit," he said. He said the setting up of the complex was timely because it assist the State Government realise its efforts to put the state's culture and arts to a higher pedestal. He assured that the State Government would continue to give its strong cooperation and support to the Federal government through the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry to ensure all its programmes and government policies for the people's benefit succeed. Source : Borneo Post

KOTA KINABALU: The National Department of Culture and Arts (NDCA) will develop complete audio-visual records on the various musical genres, dances and cultural practices of all major ethnic groups in Sabah. Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim in announcing this yesterday, said the recordings would be compiled and archived for future reference to ensure that the state’s rich tradition and culture would not disappear amidst modernization. “I would like to inform that NDCA as an agency under the ministry will start recording traditional local music, dances and other cultural practices of the major ethnics in Sabah, to be preserved as a national heritage in culture,” he told reporters after the launching of Sabah NDCA Complex here. The ceremony was jointly officiated by Rais and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. Also present were Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun. “If we look at the cultural performances during the launching ceremony, we can say that it is a reflection of the active participation and contribution of today’s generation towards practising and preserving their culture. “But with all the foreign influences the younger generation are being exposed to today, we cannot guarantee that the dances and music that were performed just now would remain alive. “As such, we will start recording them in high quality audio-visual files which we will keep as reference in our libraries,” said Rais. He added that the ministry would also encourage research activities to be conducted on Sabah’s cultural heritage, especially of the ethnics in the rural areas. He said the State NDCA, with assistance from the headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, would then compile and publish these researches into books for archive and public readings. Similar activities would also be carried out in Sarawak once the NDCA complex there was completed within the present Tenth Malaysia Plan (RMK10), he added. The ministry is planning to build a cultural and arts complex for every state in the country, with Sarawak and Johor expected to be next in line to get their own state NDCA building. According to Rais, the ministry had so far built or in the process of constructing such complexes in Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. Speaking at the ceremony earlier, he said the completion of the complex in Sabah was hoped to boost cultural and arts activities in the State. “This facility would serve as a symbol to a new beginning in our effort to elevate local culture. With facilities like this available across the country, we hope to provide a platform for preserving and promoting our tradition and cultural heritage,” he said. He also noted that the ministry would continue organizing annual open houses to celebrate Kaamatan, Christmas and other festivities. Source : Borneo Post