All articles of culture in Sabah

13Sep

Sabah’s first-ever week-long visual arts festival Oct 27

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will have its first ever week-long visual arts festival soon, thanks to Visual Communication Association KK (VCA KK) and Salt x Paper Stationery & Gifts who have teamed up to organise the festival dubbed as North Borneo Design Week (NBDW). The event will be held from Oct 27 until Nov 2 at Riverson, here aimed at fostering the growth of the state capital’s creative industry as well as to position Kota Kinabalu as a strategic creative hub to connect countries in the East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) through the showcase of Malaysia’s creative industry. “This week-long event aims to promote and elevate the local arts and design through a wide range of activities such as artisan markets, art exhibitions, workshops and design talks by prominent speakers in the art and design industry,” said Aaron Lam, the owner of Salt x Paper Stationery & Gifts. Aaron explained that the big scale art festival would feature over 100 creative vendors including local artists and some from Kuala Lumpur, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, France, USA and more at the artisan market to showcase their creations. “The creative artworks include fine art, art & crafts, handmade body care products, jewelleries & accessories, home decorations and many more,” he said. Meanwhile, VCA KK president Noah Lee said the event would be an ‘eye opener’ for Sabahans. “Design weeks or design festivals are held regularly all over the world. Sabah’s first ever design week will be an eye opener for local creative practitioners as professionals from all over the world are invited to share about their respective fields, vice versa from our local creative industry to the public,” Noah said. As for the workshops, Noah highlighted that the organizers had invited local and overseas artists, such as Hong Yi (known as Red) and Chua Soon Min (known as Katak) to conduct master classes and share their knowledge through design talks in order to raise the standards of local creative practitioners and make a mark on the global stage. Showing support for the upcoming event, Kota Kinabalu MP, Chan Foong Hin has contributed RM10,000 while Luyang Assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe sponsored RM2, 000. According to Chan, although Sabah tourism relies on its natural assets, the arts and culture play a major role by adding value to it. “By developing the arts and culture and encouraging creative entrepreneurship, we are building a good and diversified image of the state and leave a unique impression to visiting tourists. Phoong also expressed that tourists come to Sabah not just for its well-known natural tropical beauty and local delicacies, but if presented with Sabah’s local artworks, clothing, handicrafts, it will be a major contribution to Sabah’s tourism. Further details on North Borneo Design Week and tickets for Design Talks and Workshops are available on www.nbdesignweek.com.   Source: New Sabah Times
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12Sep

Lantern parade back at Gaya Street on Sept 29

KOTA KINABALU: The long anticipated lantern parade will be back at Gaya Street on September 29. The event is jointly organized by the United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (USCCAKK), Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), Kota Kinabalu MP and Likas assemblyman office. USCCAKK president Datuk Susan Wong, together with Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, made personal inspection of the venue at Gaya Street to ensure that the mooncake carnival and lantern parade would be successful. She said the association had decided to adorn Gaya Street with lanterns before the Malaysia Day celebration on September 16 to spread the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival. “The event is not only a showcase of Chinese culture, but also an attraction to lure foreign tourists, especially Chinese visitors, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival abroad in Sabah,” she said. While on the subject, Wong also said that the cash prizes for the lantern competition have been increased to encourage more schools, associations and members of the public to take part in the lantern parade. Champion of the USCCAK category will receive RM1,000 cash prize, followed by RM800 and RM500 for the second and third place winners respectively. There are also three consolation prizes of RM100 each. The association is also offering three RM200 cash prizes to lantern parade participants who don Chinese attire. The organizers have created an award for the largest team to encourage more participation from USCCAKK member associations as well. Participants must ensure that their lanterns are movable either by carrying their lanterns, placing the lantern on a dolly or even atop a 1.5-tonne lorry. There is no size limit on the lanterns. Meanwhile, the cash prizes for the Open category remain unchanged. Nonetheless, the organizer has added three new awards, namely, the best dressed, best design and largest parade team for this category. Wong urged other Chinese associations in Kota Kinabalu to take part in the lantern parade. “The event is a great platform to promote our Chinese culture and the multiracial spirit of Sabah,” she added.   Source: Borneo Post Online
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12Sep

A home for oath stone at last

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s historical oath stone will be open to the public on Malaysia Day at its new home at the Muzium Warisan Keningau. The stone, which had been relocated several times over the years to make way for development, is now permanently placed at the heritage museum. Opening it to visitors on Sept 16 is significant for the symbol that bears the bill of guarantees assuring Sabahans of their rights upon the formation of Malaysia. On Sunday, the relocation was held amid a full customary ritual that started with shamans (or bobohizans in the native Kadazandusun term) conducting prayers and chants along with the sacrificing of livestock including male buffaloes and white chickens.
After that, the lead shaman Muri Kulim and some 1,000 of his escorts marched from where the oath stone was at the Keningau District Secretariat Office all the way to the mu­seum.
The ceremony was officiated by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister’s political secretary Raymond Ahuar. Keningau district officer Yusop Osman said RM1.025mil was spent on the effort to restore and relocate the stone. “The relocation was done according to native Kadazandusun and Murut customary beliefs and rituals, just like the way it was done when the stone was first put up on Aug 31, 1964,” he said. The then federal labour minister Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam offi­ciated the placing of the oath stone, witnessed, among others, by the Sabah chief minister at that time Tun Fuad Stephens and Dusun community leader Datuk G.S. Sundang, who was formerly Sabah deputy chief minister. There had been some controversies surrounding the oath stone previously, including natives finding “copies” of the stone in several parts of Keningau, 71km south of here. Three years ago, there was another controversy when it was found that the words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (Malaysian government guarantees) were missing from the plaque. It remains a mystery as to where and when the original was changed but the then Bingkor assemblyman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had given the government a plaque, which he claimed to be the original. It has been handed over to the museum for safekeeping. The Keningau Oath Stone is important to not only Sabahans but also Malaysia as it serves to assure the Sabahans that their rights to religious freedom, land, culture and customs, among others, are guaranteed even after Sabah, together with Sarawak and Singapore, joined Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Source: The Star Online
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05Sep

Hotel staff show artistic talents

SANDAKAN: Associates of The Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan initiated a drawing competition to commemorate the 61st Malaysian Independence Day. The theme, which is based on this year’s theme ‘Sayangi Malaysia Ku’ received an overwhelming response and the three external judges, Roslee Jaafar (professional art and culture), Emilina Gustin (head of dental unit) and Eva Mohamad (Zumba instructor and teacher), were captivated by the final products of the talented staff. Roslee complimented the hotel’s general manager, Peter Padman, for having such a motivated and joyful team of employees while commenting that he was in awe of the 10 final artworks which expressed so much detail and love by the associates for their much adored country, Malaysia. When asked why this drawing competition was organised, Peter said that his team had been working so hard over the past few months with so many new implementations within the company, and with the ongoing integration of Marriott International with Starwood, he felt that his fellow colleagues could do with a break from the daily routine which had somewhat been quite stressful lately. He added that the associates, who were a team of Malaysians, expressed so much passion and love for their country through the drawings and it was brought to reality that a picture does paint a thousand words. The competition, which was open to all 10 departments of the hotel, was won by the Human Resources Department, led by Haeruddin Nurdin, the Human Resources Manager. Their painting represented the various cultural and ethnic groups of the country who live in perfect harmony from the North to the South, from Perlis to Sabah. The various colours were explained in detail as to what it represented, while not forgetting the meaning of the Hibiscus as the National flower and the iconic KLCC tower that showed the progress and development of the country over the 61 years.   Source: Borneo Post Online
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30Aug

First Lotud museum opens in Tuaran

TUARAN: In officially opening the new Borneo Lotud Meseum here on Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament for Tuaran, Datuk Madius Tangau said that the new heritage centre should become a source for cultural education for all people, especially the Lotuds. He foresees the museum to become another of the already many tourism attractions in Tuaran, while congratulating the museum initiator and owner, the Sabah Lotud Chamber of Commerce and Industry, headed by its president Pediman Jabau, for having started the museum quietly on its own without external funding. “The chamber has been very successful in part due to its ability to work with the government departments and agencies,” said Tangau who is also the state Minister of Trade and Industry. In his speech, Pediman said it was indeed a historic day with the launching of the Museum Lotud Borneo which is intended to exhibit as many as possible the still available Lotud community’s objects of the cultural heritages. “This is important for the benefit of the Lotud people themselves, especially members of the younger generation who, because of modernity, are no longer using a lot of old implements and instruments such as those for padi planting, for their livelihood,” he said. “The other heritage worth keeping are the many items used in the rituals of the old religion, now that the new generation of Lotuds have already converted to non-traditional religions. “Because of this, I am requesting for support from all Lotuds to contribute to the value of this museum by contributing whatever instruments of the old days to this museum. Rather than throwing them away or allowing them to rot, we may as well keep them in this museum for the benefit of future generation, even as 100 or 200 years from now,” Pediman added. “I promise that every item will be duly marked with the name of its contributor so the contributor’s descendants may one day see the items and be very proud that such items belong to their ancestors.” He also appealed for support for the new Lotud flag which was raised by Madius during the occasion. “This is the first time that we in the community created a special flag to symbolise ourselves and our culture in the form of a flag which we in the old days called ‘tunggul’,” he explained. Pediman also sought funding from Tangau’s ministry to finance a research project to identity ways to improve the entrepreneurial performance of the Lotud community. Pediman who runs an insurance firm and property ventures from his shophouse in Tuaran township, while running his three-storey museum cum office and Bayangkan Café at the Berungis Commercial Centre, has been officially recognised with awards at the state level as the most successful Lotud entrepreneur.   Source: Borneo Post Online
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