30Oct

Traditional Food Fest planned next year

KOTA BELUD: Organising cultural festivals based on local cultures and ethnic traditions in the State should be able to attract tourists.State Rural Development Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick, said rural areas had a variety of attractive products to attract tourism in addition to its natural beauty, Sabah’s cultural festivals and ethnic traditions.“In Kota Belud, we hold the annual Tamu Besar Kota Belud event which showcases the various ethnic cultures of the district including the Traditional Food Festival. But it will be more interesting and successful if we can attract foreign tourists to see the uniqueness and the special privileges of culture, traditional foods and more that we have to offer. “I commend the efforts of the organisers of the Traditional Food Festival in conjunction with the Tamu Besar Kota Belud and I hope that it will continue in the future. But to this day, we are the only ones celebrating the festival and cannot be featured outside tourists. introducing this traditional food to outside tourists and our entrepreneurs can turn it into a commercial enterprise,” he said at the opening of the Kota Belud Traditional Food Festival in conjunction with the Tamu Besar Kota Belud hed at the Sosondoton View Tamu market in Kg Piasau, here, on Saturday.Also present were Kota Belud District Officer, Diyanah Abdullah, board member of the Sabah Tourism Board, Mustapha Sakmud and former Kota Belud MP, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.Ewon, who is also the Kadamaian Assemblyman, agreed with the Kota Belud District Officer’s proposal for a Traditional Food Festival to be held outside Kota Belud next year.“If we cannot attract overseas travellers to Kota Belud to see the festival, let us approach them in collaboration with the shopping centres or hotels in Kota Kinabalu so that tourists can see some of the tourism products we offer in the district, “he said.He said the government through ministries and district offices could play a role in upgrading public infrastructure facilities in villages undertaking tourism activities, while tourism associations could play a role in tourism promotion and marketing activities. Earlier, Ewon was launching a Fitness Awareness Programme in conjunction with the Taginambur area level National Sports Month at the Sweat Factory Centre gymnasium in Kg Taginambur Jaya.Speaking at the event, he said the Taginambur Badi Festival, which will be held from December 12 to 13, 2019, being delayed from the same date in August and will be officiated by Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew.The delay will allow for the completion of the bustling Kadamaian Square community hall, which is currently under construction, but almost nearing its completion.“The State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment has agreed to award an annual grant of RM30,000 to the Taginambur Tourism Association to organise the festival.“I hope the festival will be a new identity of the Kadamaian area and highlight the unique and interesting privileges that are not present at any other festival in Kota Belud,” he said.According to Ewon, the redevelopment of the Taginambur township is underway including the completion of the Kadamaian Square community hall which serves as the main activity centre in the Kadamaian State Assembly constituency, the upgrading of Taginambur Tamu market facilities and the construction of the Rural Entrepreneurial Complex which will soon begin“This will be supplemented by riverbank improvements, residential walkway construction and the construction of Walai Kadamaian tourist complex which will serve as a resthouse, accommodation and future tourist cafeteria.“This is part of the Kadamaian Development Plan, 2020-2035 which I have initiated for the tourism industry related facilities in Kadamaian. What is good for Kadamaian is also good for Kota Belud in general and also good for Sabah as a whole,” he said. Source: Daily Express30
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04Mar

Sabah traditional dancers perform in London

KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Commonwealth Society has recently invited Sabahan Abroad UK to perform Sabahan traditional dances ‘Sumazau, Daling-Daling, Magunatip’ at Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Family Day 2019. This Commonwealth Family Day is to celebrate diverse range of cultures and wide variety of art forms from across the Commonwealth. Hundreds of families with children attended the event to enjoy traditional performances from Commonwealth countries and folk stories from around the world. The Pangkis, a piercing shout of the lead male dancer, filled the hall. The sound of the gongs soared up gloriously. The dancers took their places and embraced the music. With grace and poise, they slowly swayed rhythmically in sync to the rhythm of the gongs. Like the waves and wind pushing through the wild sea, they danced as if it was the only way to be. With every beat of the gong, one could almost feel, understand the love story of a beautiful history, and just like that, enchantingly, the audience were transported back to North Borneo – every essence of the beat speaks of the beauty of the home they call Land Below the Wind. The Commonwealth Family Day Celebration at Westminster Abbey, London was a fun-filled family event showcasing great performances from various groups representing some of the Commonwealth countries. Performers included London’s Maori Choir with their traditional Fijian dance, sega dancers from Mauritius and classical Indian Kuchipudi dance. The Kulintangan Dance Group from Sabahan Abroad UK had the honour of representing Malaysia. They highlighted the traditional dances of the three largest ethnic groups in Sabah. After some brief introduction from Maya and Christian, the dancers performed the Penampang and Papar sumazau, followed by the Bajau’s famous courtship dance, endearingly known as the Daling Daling. Their performance ended on a high with the Magunatip , a Murut tribal bamboo dance to celebrate the homecoming of victorious warriors. As the dancers took heir last pose, an abrupt wave of cheers and applause echoed the hall. They did their motherland proud! The guests were then invited to try the Magunatip bamboo dance. Kids and adults happily volunteered to join and experience the fun. The Kulintangan Dance Group, consisting of Alfred, Laura, Jessie, Izman, Marie, Joel, Leona, Fred and Denis, with Nelda acting as group manager, is a sub division of Sabahan Abroad UK, a non- profit organisation based in England. Sabahan Abroad UK hopes that by participating in events such as the Commonwealth Family Day, it can help promote Sabah’s cultural and social diversity at an international level. The Kulintangan Dance Group are looking forward to being present at many future cultural and tourism related events. They hope by showcasing the cultural beauty of Sabah’s various ethnic groups, this will encourage more tourists from the UK and Europe to choose Sabah, and Malaysia in general, as their next travel destination. As for the Kulintangan Dance Group, it was a surreal and proud moment to have been given the opportunity to represent their country and culture, and share the love of their heritage at the renowned Westminster Abbey. This is one experience they will treasure for a lifetime. Sabahan Abroad UK believes this performance and activity can allow many visitors to pay more attention at the indigenous groups in Borneo. It is looking forward to being present at many other cultural and tourism related events in future and is confident the impacts of visual information and visual communication can be a great motivating factor to lead travellers with different cultural background to select Malaysia to be their travel destination. Sabahan Abroad UK is a community organisation and a non-profit organisation based in  the United Kingdom. It is the first established community organisation in the United Kingdom  since 2000. As of today, there are at least 700 Sabahans residing in the UK with 54 students under the scholarship of Public Service Department, Mara and self-sponsored. The aims of the organisation are to create a sense of belonging for  many Sabahans who live in the UK through social gatherings, sports and festival celebrations. Another aim is to promote Sabah’s cultural and social diversity by organising and participating in various cultural and social events in the UK. It hopes its events and activities in London, United Kingdom can help develop cultural tourism and offer new opportunity to promote Sabah cultural tourism in the United Kingdom and Europe. Its ambition is to set up a cultural centre in London to enhance friendship, amity and understanding between Malaysia and the UK through cultural and education activities. It believes its dedication towards this programme can help further develop established its cultural projects, introduce new opportunities to expand our Malaysian events for many visitors from the UK and Europe. Source: The Borneo Post
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05Sep

Colour and culture on display at Sabah’s National Day parade

KOTA KINABALU: Energetic, patriotic, beautiful – these words would immediately come to mind upon witnessing the state-level National Day celebrations here Thursday. Thousands of patriotic citizens at the event sang the national and state anthems with passion after the Sabah Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin arrived with his wife, Toh Puan Norlidah R.M Jasni and other dignitaries, including Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. The celebration, which was held simultaneously nationwide, saw parades of the Jalur Gemilang, Sabah flag, all Malaysian state flags, a march-past of uniformed bodies and a convoy of vehicles. Guests and visitors were also entertained with performances by the armed forces, patriotic poetry declamation, choirs focused on national- and unity-themed songs and many other colourful showcase.
The guests' enthusiasm remained high during the performances with loud cheers heard throughout the event. The weather may have been scorching hot, but this did not stop the people from coming out in droves to witness the once-a-year National Day event that started at 8am. There was also a marching competition which saw the participation of various private and governmental agencies and departments. Towards the end of the programme, SK Seri Gaya, SMK Putatan Form 6 centre, Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic military reserve force of the Malaysian Army, Sabah Parks, Sabah Girl Scouts, Sabah Bajau Samah Association, Public Works Department and the City Hall Enforcement unit were announced winners of the marching competition in their respective categories. A member of the Sabah Bajau Samah Association, Ag Amirul Ag Bungsu, 21, said they were proud to be crowned winners in the ethnic category. "Although this is just a march, we are able to show the nation – and hopefully the world – who the Bajau Samah people are," he said. He said they want others to know that although they may be small in number, they are a strong community that lives harmoniously with all other races and religions in the country. "It is unique cultures such as ours that make Sabah – and Malaysia – known to the world," he added. Donned in their traditional costumes, association members also became instant stars, with visitors asking for selfies and group photos with them during the event. Another participant, Peter Lintar, 44, who is of Lotud Tuaran descent, said he wished for continued peace and harmony for the country. "We must teach our children about unity so that they too can continue living together as one in this country," he said. Source: The Star
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