24Apr

‘Solungkoi: Jambatan Tamparuli’, highlight of Sabah Fest 2018

KOTA KINABALU: Musical theatre ‘Solungkoi: Jambatan Tamparuli’ will be the highlight of this year’s Sabah Fest from May 4 to 6 at Sabah National Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) Auditorium. Succeeding eight Sabah legendary folktales, this year’s Sabah Fest musical theatre tells the story of a beautiful maiden, Solungkoi, who was caught up between love and sacrifice along the course of the famous Tamparuli bridge construction in the 1950’s. It was told that a British engineer, Robinson, was assigned to the construction during the post-colonial period to provide easier and better access for villagers, linking the North and West Coast of Sabah. However, time was testing as the bridge was continuously washed away by the river and after several failed attempts at reconstructing, a spirit medium was consulted to seek ways to build a permanent bridge in nature. Legends had it that the bridge was constructed on a sacred site and Ombuakar – the spirit known to live inside the Tamparuli River – demanded a human sacrifice as compensation. Solungkoi ended up being sacrificed; since then, despite countless flooding, the bridge stood on up until this day. “I used to frequently go to Tamparuli in the late 50s and there was an iron bridge slightly downstream after the Tamparuli bridge but it took only one big flood to sweep it away, yet the current (Tamparuli) bridge remains intact until now. “So that gives the legend, even more credibility that perhaps the reason for its unusual strength was because of its human sacrifice,” said caretaker Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun in a press conference here yesterday. He added that the real drama showcased in the theatre was when Robinson, whose initial intention was to make Solungkoi fall for him only for her to be sacrificed, ended up truly falling in love with her. “It is whether your love for the lady surpasses the need for (human) sacrifice or whether your job and the need for human sacrifice means sacrificing your true love for that lady.” Starring in the musical theatre are local socialites – Hosiani Jaimis (Keewon) as Solungkoi, Dane Kovacs (Orang Putih Kita) as Robinson, Jayfrejoe Japrin (JoeJaprin) as Intang, Dayang Hasnah Ibrahim as Odu and a special appearance by Sakinah (Sakinah vs Ondu). Masidi underlined that in the effort to uphold local talents, the theatre, as it had always been, was fully managed by local artists with almost 100 per cent Malay language except for certain scenes that require English. “It was our desire to give as much opportunity to local aspiring artists to be known…we have not brought in any outsider because we believe in the creative talent of locals and that is what we had been doing over the past 30 years. “Every year we try to bring something new in Sabah Fest but the foundation is still the tradition.” Also present during the press conference were State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry permanent secretary Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai, JKKN director Mohd Raizuli Mat Jusoh and Sabah Tourism Board general manager Suzaini Datuk Sabdin Ghani. Apart from the musical theatre, festival goers can expect to arrive early and indulge in a variety of foods from various food trucks namely Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Shawarma Kebab, Hunger Lane, 70’s Street Kitchen and more. Other activities include the cultural show, traditional games and art gallery by JKKN, traditional cooking and colouring competitions, Bamboo orchestra by Tamparuli school, handicraft merchandise by Kadaiku and Kraftangan Malaysia, and Sabah traditional costumes dress up and exhibition by Chanteek Borneo. There will also be a contemporary fashion show which will feature modernized, wearable and functional native costumes, mostly from Ranau-based designers modelled by Mr. Kaamatan and Miss Grand Sabah. Activities will start from as early as 4pm during the whole three-day festival at JKKN where admission is free. Meanwhile, tickets for ‘Solungkoi: Jambatan Tamparuli’ are priced at RM50, available for online purchasing at www.kadaiku.com or walk-in at Sabah Tourism Board on Gaya Street or Sri Pelancongan Sabah, Sinsuran. Speaking of the expectation due to the Fest being held during the election period, Masidi was confident that it would not greatly affect the turnout as the festival takes place in the evening. “Politics is important but the most important thing is we need to motivate our young talents in Sabah to be better.” For more information, please contact Francesca Lydia Chipli at +6088-232121 or email to francesca@sabahtourism.com. Updates on Sabah Fest 2018 are available at www.hellosabah.my. Source: New Sabah Times
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03Apr

Taking Kaamatan to Penang

Penampang: The rich cultures of the Kadazandusuns in Sabah will be showcased in Penang next month as the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) branch on the island will be organising the Harvest Festival celebration there for the first time. It will be a Penang state level event with cooperation from its State Government and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, universities and the private sector, including Sada Borneo, a popular band comprising Sabahan and Sarawakian musicians who only play traditional acoustic instruments. KDCA Penang Deputy Chairman II Murasun Murphy said the main event will be held on May 13 at Kompleks Bukit Jambul. "Our main objective is to enable Sabahans here to celebrate the harvest. Aside from that, we want to share the Kadazandusun ethnic cultures and traditions with people of other races here, including tourists," he said. He said there are younger generation of Sabahans who have been living in Penang and other states in the peninsula for a long time and are no longer familiar with their cultures and traditions, hence the importance of the celebration. He said they expect Sabahans who are residing in other states in the peninsula to come to the island to join the celebration. There are more than 40 indigenous ethnic communities under the KDCA. Penang is one of three KDCA branches in the peninsula. The other two are Klang Valley and Johor. Murasun said the highlight of the event will be the Unduk Ngadau and Sugandoi finals. Currently, organisers are calling for interested individuals nationwide to register as contestants for both contests. He said they must be Malaysian citizens above 18-year-old from any of the more than 40 ethnic groups of the Kadazandusun, or at least either parent is of that race. Auditions will be held on April 28-29 at the KDCA office at Goldhill Complex, Ayer Itam in Penang. "We will select seven finalists for the Unduk Ngadau and five for Sugandoi," he said. The prizes for the Unduk Ngadau winners are RM1,200 cash, not including products and accessories, RM700 (second place), RM500 (third place) RM150 each for the fourth and fifth place. Prizes for the top three Sugandoi winners are RM700, RM500 and RM300. The winners will represent Penang for the finals in Sabah during the state level Harvest Festival celebration on May 30 and 31. Source: Daily Express
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29Mar

CNY marks highest arrivals of China tourists – Pang

KOTA KINABALU: The number of Chinese tourist arrivals in Sabah in the first two months this year increased by 52 per cent to 113,296 compared to the corresponding period last year. Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister, Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said that the Chinese New Year week in February also recorded the highest Chinese tourist arrival in a week at 67,000. “This is in line with our target of receiving between 550,000 and 600,000 visitors from China this year,” he told reporters when met at the ‘Passion of Minnan Culture on Maritime Silk Road’ cultural show at the Culture and Arts Department Complex here yesterday. The event was organised by the Xiamen Municipal Tourism Development Commission who were on a cultural tour on a cruise ship along the Maritime Silk Road in South East Asia. According to Pang, he had requested the Xiamen Municipal Tourism Development Commission Deputy Director General, Zhong Hai Lin who was present, to consider re-launching direct air link between Xiamen and Fujian with Kota Kinabalu, to be serviced by Xiamen Airlines. He said that the airline is currently servicing Fuzhou – Kota Kinabalu route and Beijing – Kota Kinabalu route. “Xiamen is a tourism hub of China which received some 78 million tourists, mostly domestic visitors last year. So if we can link these two cities, we can tap to the vast tourism market and promote Sabah to the rest of China. “Now visitors come to Sabah through Fuzhou but Xiamen is a better known city and it is close to Taiwan. “Malaysia Airlines used to fly to Xiamen from Kota Kinabalu but it stopped in 2004. Things are different now,” he added. Pang also hoped that the Xiamen Municipal Tourism Development Commission cruise ship, Neo Costa Romantica, would call on Kota Kinabalu in its scheduled service. He said although visitors arriving on cruise ships are not counted as tourists because they stay on the ship instead of in a hotel, they also contribute greatly in terms of tourism receipt. “With passengers’ capacity of 1,800 and crew of 1,200, the Neo Costa Romantica would benefit the city,” he said. Source: New Sabah Times
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01Mar

Beach, scenery and shopping: Why more Chinese are visiting Kota Kinabalu for CNY

PETALING JAYA, Feb 26 — Yearning for the perfect selfie, Chinese tourists are increasingly choosing Sabah as their vacation destination. State Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said Sabah's stunning backdrops and locals’ ability to speak Chinese dialects made the Chinese nationals more “at home” during the Lunar New Year, reported the South China Morning Post. “We are unique because we are ‘the best Malaysians’. We don't have any problem with racial harmony and a lot of the non-Chinese here speak Chinese,” Masidi was quoted as saying. “This gives a lot of confidence to the Chinese tourists because they feel they are at home. We speak the language but we don’t have the crowds or traffic jams and we have the cleanest air in Malaysia. “Our beautiful scenery and islands make it perfect for their favourite activity: taking selfies.” SCMP reported that Chinese visitors to Sabah were increasing, with the East Malaysian state now in the top 10 of destinations for the 6.5 million Chinese nationals holidaying abroad during the Lunar New Year. Last year, 431,000 Chinese nationals visited Sabah, accounting for 35 per cent of all arrivals in the state and 75 per cent higher compared to 2015. “We are getting a lot more of the cosmopolitan types,” Masidi said of Sabah. “They speak some basic English, they are younger, and they know exactly what they want from the holiday so they just travel on their own without tour groups.” In Kota Kinabalu, the top three attractions listed by Chinese visitors were “viewing natural scenery”, “relaxing by the beach” and “shopping”, according to surveys. Air connectivity is also highlighted as a reason more of its people are heading to East Malaysia. Out of 186 international flights into Sabah each week, 86 are from China. Masidi called on private investors and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to take advantage of the tourism boom and pump more money into the state.   Source: Malay mail Online
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08Jan

CNY Carnival at Padang Merdeka Feb 10-12

Kota Kinabalu: The Chinese New Year Carnival 2018 will be held from Feb 10 to 12 at Padang Merdeka here. It is jointly organised by City Hall and the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), with the State Government as sponsor and contributions from many donors. The carnival's organising committee held a meeting chaired by Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai recently. Also present were FCAS President Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima (Dr) TC Goh and Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Edward Yong, who is in charge of City Hall. According to Yong, the organising committee would be inviting the Chief Minister to launch the event on Feb 10. He said among the highlights of the programme are the 24 seasons drum beating, lion dances, "Lau Sang", cultural and singing performances, choir and others. He said more schools will be involved this time to encourage more youngsters to participate in the carnival. Fireworks are expected to be set off on the opening night. There will also be a ceremony for senior citizens and children at Padang Merdeka on Feb 11, which is expected to be launched by the Chief Minister's wife, Puan Sri Datin Seri Panglima Faridah Tussin. A Cheongsam beauty pageant and dancing contest will be held on the second night also, he said. The closing ceremony is expected to be graced by the Minister with Special Tasks, Datuk Seri Panglima Teo Chee Kang, which will also see the finale of the Cheongsam and dancing competitions and a fireworks display. Visitors will also have the chance to shop for goods from the 200 stalls that will be set up throughout the carnival. The stalls will be opened at 6pm selling goods in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration. For the first time this year, the stalls at Padang Merdeka will be allowed to continue their business for another two days up to Feb 14 which will coincide with the yearly Chinese New Year night market. Yong said this will give more business opportunities to small traders and hawkers and will be an added attraction for tourists visiting the city during the festive season. Application for the stalls can be made starting Jan 9 2018 at City Hall's Hawkers Management Counter, City Environmental Health Department at 7th floor, Centre Point Sabah. Permit for the stalls are RM60 per lot. For more information on the stalls, call 088-244000 or 088-223437.   Source: Daily Express
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