Tattoos part of local culture, says Masidi
Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said tattoos in this part of the world have long been associated with culture and should not be equated with negative traits.
“In fact if you read the papers some of those caught for abuse of drugs are well mannered and groomed.
“So having tattoos alone does not reflect the character of a person. If you look at the Dayaks or Iban people in the olden days it is a sign of a warriors’ bravery and manhood.
“Even my late father he came back with a tattoo and later on in life I asked him about it, he said every brave man had to have a tattoo.
“In the case of North Borneo i.e. Sabah and Sarawak, tattoos are part of the local culture and have nothing to do with any negative implications,” he said, after officially launching the Third Sabah International Tattoo Convention 2017, Saturday. The event at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu would end today (Sunday).
Some 72 artists from 27 countries including Australia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Finland, Mexico, China and Malaysia are taking part in the annual event.
“I have met (and spoken) to some of them (International and local tattoo artist participants) for the third year now and they are reasonable people. I don’t see them as a spokesperson for ‘bad habits’.
“Eventually it’s all about personal choice and what they want to put on their bodies.
Yes, there are issues but I think we should focus on the positive parts of the convention itself.”
On the event itself, Masidi said the number of (artists) participants to the event has grown. “We realise the response from the international community has been very good.
We may need to have a bigger venue because of this increase in a participants.
“I believe later on today and tomorrow the crowds will come over to admire the various works by tatooists and this can only mean this convention which started as a small event is slowly become a good draw for international participants and tourists.
“I believe Sabah will become more well known with this event. If you look at the number of nationalities of participants its obvious that the its reputation is growing far and wide and Sabah’s image is spread all over the world.”
Event Founder and Organiser Carlos Benny Majakim said the Tattoo Convention event attracts many nationalities and was a platform also for them to engage in an exchange of their art and culture in a way.
“So basically it iss also an event to educate (each other). The tattoo artists participating here are generally in their 20s but you can also see a few artists who are over 50,” he said. – Neil Chan
Source: Daily Express
