The enchanting tale behind Fort Margherita in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, unveils a story of love and protection, often overshadowed by the grandeur of more famous landmarks like the Taj Mahal. While many are familiar with the romantic narrative of the Taj Mahal‘s creation, Fort Margherita’s origin story remains relatively obscure, nestled within the annals of Sarawak‘s rich history. Constructed in 1879 by Sir Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak, Fort Margherita stands as a testament to a love as enduring as its sturdy walls. Sir Charles built this fortress for his beloved wife, Margherita Alice Lili de Windt, a French noblewoman, as a symbol of his deep affection. Designed in the likeness of an English castle, the fort’s primary purpose was to safeguard the city of Kuching from marauding pirates, although it never had to engage in battle. Over time, Fort Margherita underwent several transformations, serving as a police museum from 1971 before eventually being entrusted to the Sarawak Government as a tourist attraction. The architecture of Fort Margherita is reminiscent of the majestic castles of old, featuring a three-story layout constructed from plastered stone and adorned with wooden floors and spiral staircases. Iron mastheads grace each corner, adding to its imposing silhouette. Throughout its storied past, Fort Margherita has played various roles, from a base for Sarawak Rangers to a strategic outpost for the Japanese army during World War II. Recognising its historical significance, the National Heritage Department embarked on a conservation project to preserve this architectural gem, investing 2.3 million Malaysian Ringgit over two years. Today, Fort Margherita, now known as the Brooke Gallery, stands as a testament to the legacy of the Brooke Dynasty, housing artifacts and relics that chronicle the reign of the White Rajahs and their impact on Sarawak. The fortress has witnessed the changing tides of history, its flagpole proudly bearing the flags of Sarawak, Japan and Britain over the years. Perched atop a hill near the State Legislative Assembly Complex and overlooking the Sarawak River, Fort Margherita remains a steadfast reminder of Sarawak‘s colonial past. Visitors to Kuching are urged not to miss the opportunity to traverse the passageways of this historic landmark, which offers a glimpse into a bygone era. Accessible by road or a leisurely river cruise, Fort Margherita beckons travellers to explore its corridors and immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Sarawak‘s history. Whether admiring its architectural splendour or marvelling at its panoramic views, a visit to Fort Margherita promises an unforgettable journey through time. For those planning a trip to Kuching, a visit to Fort Margherita is a must, offering not only a glimpse into the region’s past but also an opportunity to experience its enduring charm firsthand. As you wander through its halls, you’ll discover a love story etched in stone and a legacy that continues to captivate hearts around the world. Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 9am–4.45pm Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10am-4pm Admission: Malaysian: RM 10 Non-Malaysian: RM 20 Children (under 7): Free

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The iconic Rainforest World Music Festival marks its legendary return, featuring a cast of world renowned performers never seen before in Sarawak. The annual three-day music festival celebrates the diversity of world music in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, with daytime music workshops, cultural displays, craft displays, food stalls, and main-stage evening concerts.   This year’s festival will be making a ‘physical’ comeback from 23rd to 25th June at Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching. The festival’s line-up will feature a total of 199 musicians from 12 countries, across more than 3 continents to perform a diverse range of music genres. Performers at the Rainforest World Music Festival include Grammy Awards winner, ‘Gipsy Kings’ ft. Tonino Baliardo from France, ‘Big Mountain’ from Jamaica/USA, ‘Safi Theatre’ from Tanzania, ‘Rastak’ from Iran, ‘Fasylive’ from Maldives, ‘Afriquoi’ from the United Kingdom, ‘Chatusram’ from India, ‘Rizal Hadi & Folk’ from Indonesia and ‘Ethno Thai Fusion Sound Band’ from Thailand. The line-up will also include performers from Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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Fairy tale times, or perhaps time for a fairy tale. Yes, because walking here and there among the stands at the Rainforest World Music Festival in the Malaysian Borneo, at the concerts and meetings with the most varied and fascinating people, there is always a story to hear, a life story that ignites your imagination or unleashes a river of emotions. Real life stories or legends, or real facts that have been handed down for generations. Fairy tales in the truest sense of the term: those short narrations in which both men and animals, plants or other inanimate beings can be the protagonists. These are generally symbols or representations of typically human aspects of life that have the purpose to make a moral truth easily understood. I leave the moral truth hidden in the story that follows to those who want to get to the bottom of it. I limit myself to relating it as it has been told to me, hoping that in defining it a ‘fairy tale’ I do not enrage the various Aesops, Phaedrus, La Fontaine, Trilussa and all those ‘real’ writers whose fairy tales we have listened to since we were children, and with whom we grew up. “Domine non sum dignus”… I’m just a little short of a storyteller. Still, fairy tales they are, tales where animals perhaps play a fundamental role but where the real protagonist is always the ‘orang’: the person. Fiona is an artist from the Melanau tribe. We meet her at the ‘Borneo Boat Lute Revival’, an interactive exhibition aimed at keeping alive in the new generations, and at making foreigners familiar with the art of the various forms of the Malaysian lute. Instinctively nice and sociable, Fiona is eager to talk, and to tell: “My family and I cannot eat deer meat”. This is apparently because of an agreement, a kind of contract signed hundreds of years earlier between an ancestor of hers and… a deer of course. Nothing in writing, of course, much less a notarial stipulation but, not for this reason, a less binding and significant agreement. She learned this story the hard way when, at the age of nine, after accidentally eating venison, she developed a severe rash. Although Fiona is a young woman, I imagine that perhaps when she was a child there were no specialist doctors nearby to consult. So it was that an aunt, one of her father’s sisters, suggested a cure to follow: she had to take fragments of deer antlers, but without killing the animal. She had to collect the splinters that fell when the deer ‘sharpened’ the antlers on the trees, mix them with essences, burn them and get her body ‘smoked’ for three consecutive nights. Naturally Fiona recovered. Sure, we could easily dismiss the incident as a banal allergy to deer meat. But here we are not in a dreamless and cold American metropolis; we are in Sarawak, where there is still room for fairy tales and legends. At the time, Fiona asked her grandmother about an explanation, and she told her a tale: one of her ancestor, a hunter, had been seriously injured in a leg while in the forest. The wound was slow to heal and the leg continued to lose blood; it almost seemed there was no way out and that the fate of the unfortunate hunter was to bleed to death. But some benevolent spirit had decided otherwise. A deer had arrived and had licked his wound until it healed completely, and the man was saved. The hunter, grateful to the animal, entered into a pact on the basis of which there should be no bloodshed between future generations of men and deers, binding the descendants of the man to the pact that they should never again eat the meat of the descendants of the deer. Fiona gladly accepted the explanation but a doubt remained: why had one of her brothers who lived in Kuala Lumpur eaten venison several times without suffering any consequences? But of course… the deal was with the Sarawak deers, not with those of Peninsular Malaysia. Fiona laughed at this explanation and pointed out that “something is not right”. Despite life’s injustices, to my question: “Did you ever think of going to eat venison in Kuala Lumpur with your brother?”, Fiona replied that she was so traumatised by that experience that she would never eat venison again anywhere in the world. Fairy tales almost always have a happy ending, and during our trips in Kuching and Miri we had the opportunity to listen to a few of them. They tell us about women in a type of society where they may find it difficult to emerge, but when they do emerge they are always almost disruptive personalities. Women who express a solid characters that has its own affirmation as its goal, while not turning its back on its religion, its traditions and the rules of the community. Women who perhaps try to get where they want with the help of some innocent subterfuge, but proving in the end that they were right thanks to their merits, in a world where no one gives you pink quotas.

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The Gambus Melayu is a lute-like stringed instrument found in Central and South Sumatra, Indonesia. It can be played alone to accompany singing, or in instrumental ensembles to accompany dances in Muslim homes and community celebrations. It brings a strong association with Muslim identity to the Malay world. – (Prof. Roger R. Vetter – Javanese music scholar). The fairy tale Once upon a time, there was a 14 years old Sabah girl who used to watch her grandfather play the gambus. She was so attracted by that sound that the more she listened to it, the more curiosity and the desire to cuddle that wooden object and to try to extract sounds from it grew in her. But her grandfather was jealous of his instrument and he didn’t even allow her to touch it. Moreover, she was a girl, and no female had ever played an instrument in Sabah before. It was not going to happen with his gambus. Mind you, that stubborn little girl would not resign so easily, and when her grandfather eventually abandoned himself to his well-deserved sleep, she secretly got hold of the instrument. She then went into a nearby forest and tried to pull notes and harmonies out of the strings of that piece of wood. It is a smiling Fauziah who tells this story to the audience during one of the workshops held in Kuching as part of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2022. Her veiled face frames a sweet smile, and she does not seem to be seized by any emotion as she abandons herself to memories. She does however manage to convey emotions to those who are listening to her: to her colleagues, who are also part of this all-female workshop, who listen, amused, amazed and incredulous to what almost seems like a fairy tale; to her audience, who listens in silence to this beautiful story, only to give in to an applause when Fauziah stops narrating, caresses her gambus and lets its notes take over; and finally to me, a wanderer in search of good stories to document. Oh, you want to know how her story ends, right? I almost forgot… Night after night, forest after forest, sleeping grandfather after sleeping grandfather, the little girl grew up and her music improved. At some point the girl realized that she was progressing fast and she felt the need to test herself, to compare herself with other musicians or apprentices. Until one fine day the opportunity presented itself in the form of a musical competition but, alas, as was to be expected in a traditionalist region like Sabah, open to males only. What to do?  There had to be a way out. But yes, of course! Easy! Showing up at the competition with a man’s name and dressed in men’s clothes, without the veil and with short hair covered by a male headdress, that would do the trick! And so it was: she registered using a male name, Fauziah, which she still uses today, and that’s how it started. Unfortunately, Murphy is always lurking with his law that falls on you like a judgement, so rest assured that if something can go wrong, it will. And something did go wrong because our girl or, better, our boy, did win the contest but her grandfather was present when the winner was announced. When he recognised his granddaughter and realized the situation, he first cast icy glances at the girl and then, either out of necessity or swollen with pride, he took the stage, publicly announcing that this boy was actually his granddaughter. If Orpheus, with the sound of the lyre, had tamed even Charon, the ferryman of souls, Fauziah, with the sound of her gambus, tamed her grandfather and had the green light to start a brilliant career, one that crowned her for several years as the only woman capable of playing the gambus in Sabah. Fauziah at the RWMF All this, as previously mentioned, was told by Fauziah in a confident English during a workshop before an almost enraptured audience.  “So what. What’s so peculiar about it?”, you may say. Nothing, except that Fauziah had been learning English for less than a year, encouraged by a friend who had stressed the importance of speaking Shakespeare’s language when she found herself on a stage. Stubborn to the end, this little girl who is now 34 years old and she is no longer a girl. Far from it: Fauziah is a beautiful woman, and the blue veil she wears and which has long since ceased to cover, with timeless prohibitions, the prejudices and artistic skills of the women of Borneo, acts as a frame to a pretty face illuminated by a beautiful smile that, when it shows, it enchants people. Fauziah Binti Suhaili, who naturally chose Fauziah Gambus as her stage name, was born on November 6, 1988, and after her first competition she started a fairly intense artistic path that saw her from graduating in Musical Arts at the Academy of Arts, Culture and National Heritage, to then continuing with her career as a singer, musician, composer and lyricist and, more recently, to a song taken from her second album which was shortlisted among the top five songs for the Best Ethnic Pop category at the 21st Music Industry Awards (AIM21). Fully aware that the local music is generally not followed by young people, Fauziah tries to carry on continue upon a musical path that, by applying various fresher and more pleasant elements and rhythms, can make young people more interested in listening to traditional music. All this without renouncing her first love: the gambus. And from the warm welcome she received on the Kuching stage, it is quite clear that the stubborn girl is still winning her challenge. Photos by Guglielmo Zanchi (Pluto)

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When people think of a DJ music festival, images of young people wasting themselves at the sound of rowdy music always come to mind. Also, DJ music festivals are often organised in big cities of well-known countries. The Borneo Music Festival Live 2022, which happened on September 9 and 10, brought a change to this perception.  In fact, this event was not organised in a big town like Kuala Lumpur, but in the humble land of the hornbill, in the town of Kuching, state of Sarawak, in the amazing island that is Borneo.  While looking online for information about this musical event, which involves electronic dance music (EDM), I came across several comments that stated that Borneo Music Festival Live is less attractive than other more known DJ music festival (like Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium and others). I am a local, so I decided to get the assignment from Asian Itinerary and go prove them wrong.  The 2 days event as such was a blast, gathering 6000 people on Friday and 8000 on Saturday at Sarawak Cultural Village, for a total of 14000 people, not bad for a debut. During the event I interviewed random attendees on the spot, getting a great overall feedback.  Savannah from Germany agreed that different festivals have different uniqueness, and she loved both the jungle setup and the great DJ lineup: “The location is perfect. I love the fact that this event does not just showcases the DJs but also local artists, which is something distinctive. The food is very nice, and we enjoyed both DJ Soda and DJ Alan Walker”. Her friends Fina from Brunei, Greg from Scotland, Jowena and Dalton from USA told me they were very amazed by the DJ lineup, and they also loved the idea of performing local artists such as Tuku Kame and At Adau, who never fail to bring the sound of Borneo into the music element. Local Zaphne Philip said that she had really been looking forward to Borneo Music Festival Live 2022 as for the first time international artists of this caliber, who usually perform in Kuala Lumpur, made it here in Borneo: “It’s the time for Sarawak and Borneo as a whole to receive international artists as we also have a great venues here. The booming economy and people living in harmony is a value added to the event, which I hope can continue in the future. I believe whatever negative comments out there should not stop the event. Personally, I agree the organisers did a good job in making this event a success, providing a good platform for the young generation to have a safe party”. A guy named Nash said that “the event was hype and happening, all the audience was enjoying the DJs performances joyfully regardless of their music taste. For me personally, it was a really unique event as it was held near both a beach and the rainforest, taking the experiences to a whole new level”. Nash added: “As someone who loves art and works on art, I can tell you that the stage area was well-lit and very artistic; the lighting play, the sound system experiences, the crowd with their lead band added to the great scenery”. Local vendor AJ mentioned to me that he expected an “awkward crowd”, but that in the end people just enjoyed the music in their own way. “Everyone has their own way of partying, and for me, that is what makes it beautiful”. Borneo Music Festival is the largest EDM music event so far in Malaysia, and the second largest event in Borneo after the Rainforest World Music Festival. Borneo Music Festival proved that you can actually mix EDM music DJs with fusion and traditional music, achieving an amazing connection between music and music lovers. Borneo Music Festival Live 2022 was organised exclusively by Firmament Event Studio in collaboration with More Entertainment and supported by Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak.

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Our visit to Simunjan (Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia) was not a planned one. We somehow ended up there after scrapping up our original plan to visit the magnificient Belungei Waterfall in Lundu at the last minute. Something happened that made us head towards an alternative location, and I must say this amendment was not to be regretted.  Wong Panchor is a waterfall in Kampung Mentu, Simunjan. The hike to Wong Panchor is relatively easy, and takes about 45 minutes. If that’s not enough for you, continue on to Wong Mawang waterfall for an additional hike of just 30 minutes that is worth the sweat.  We started our journey early in the morning on a Saturday. Simunjan town is 2 about hours away from Kuching via either the Kuching-Serian Road or the Samarahan Road. We woke at 5,30am aiming to be ready to leave at 6am, after picking up our mates.  Looking at the sun rise, driving to Simunjan in the early morning is totally refreshing for the eyes. The views are amazing, quite a treat. We passed Siburan and Serian, and followed the Gedong road until we hit the town.  We decided to stop in a food spot in order to refill our energies before starting our hike. In Malaysia, ordering teh tarik (pulled tea: a milk tea that is pulled until it bubbles) is a must, yet some of us prefer black coffee or a plain tea. Teh tarik goes well with Kueh Tiaw Goreng or Mee Goreng (fried noodles) and fried eggs. I am a vegetarian so I skip the dishes containing meat and try other breakfast delicacies instead.  Once we were done with the food, we drove towards Kampung Mentu, the location where the hike starts. From Simunjan to Kampung Mentu it’s a 1 hour drive, a tough one! The road is like a roller coster and at certain places the conditions were pretty bad. This road used to be a palm oil truck road. If your car is not in good conditions, do not attempt it. The bumpy ride is compensated by the views of the journey: Iban people villages with their traditional longhouses.  At our arrival, we met up with our tour guide and at 10am we stepped into the woods and were on the hike towards the waterfall. The path is smooth: at first we were inside the forest for a few minutes, then we walked downhill along a stream on a stoned path until we passed a water pipe.  We reached the impressively big Wong Panchor waterfall after 1 hour of hiking. The pond it forms is quite deep and dark, and the water is refreshing. After taking turn to shoot photos of the waterfall, we decided to start preparing lunch. Some started cooking, other went for a swim. Eventually we had lunch, and after that some hanged their hammock and went for a siesta.  Sometime passes before we decide to pack up and move on to another waterfall: Wong Mawang. Though the hike only took 30 minutes, most of the path was challenging and climbing ups we were relieved when we reached the place. Wong Mawang is a mesmerising waterfall, so we all took some photos of it, before starting our hike back.  All went smooth on the day, and everyone feels safe and happy. We wrapped up by paying our tour guide and left the area.  This area of Simunjan is vast, the landscapes are undeniably beautiful so yes, I loved it all! Taking a trip and a hike there with a group of friends was the best choice. 

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  Before becoming a mom, I was very active in hiking and kayaking. Mostly hiking I would say, so when one day a friend suddenly proposed to visit Bengoh Dam, I knew I had to go: according to the many friends who visited the area, it looks like the famous Jurassic Park environment. How exciting! I can anticipate to my readers that my previous article about Bidayuh Bangles users, the famous ring ladies, is somewhat related to this article.  The story of Bengoh Dam But let’s continue with my story. The Bengoh Dam was still under construction when I was a student in 2009, and I had to hike for about 7 hours to reach Kampung Semban for my Anthropology research. That village, along with the majority of the others in the area, as a result of the dam it has now been relocated to the new Bengoh Resettlement Site (BRS). The Bengoh Dam project flooded the majority of the surrounding mountain area, as its final purpose was to supply water to the Kuching people. To be noted that Bengoh Dam is not an hydropower project: the nearest hydropower project is in Sri Aman, in Batang Ai. As a result of the dam construction, the area had to undergo quite a chance. Water now covers the majority of the land, and the previous river has now become a massive lake. One of the most famous villages unaffected by the flooding is Kampung Sting, which has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. I decided to join my friends on this trip because I am a passionate traveler, and the Bengoh Dam is one of the newest tourist attractions here. Visitors are usually encouraged to visit Bengoh Dam in the morning, so I recommend you gather enough information and book the trip.  Getting there For those like us who live in the Borneo Height area, it takes a mere 30 minutes drive to reach the Bengoh Dam. We reached there at around 8.30 am, we listened to the short briefing conducted by our tour guide, then we boarded our boat at the small jetty and cruised through the man-made lake. The journey was breathtaking: we saw dying trees, mountains and small paddy farms. We stopped at a few tourist attractions to take memory photos. We finally reached our first stop, Kampung Sting, from where we left on foot for the few minutes’s hike to the top. On the  village ridge there is a spacious, one-of-a-kind bamboo structure. We sat there and amazed at the majestic scenery of mountains covered in clouds surrounding the lake. Clouds and mist were formed by the morning rain that day, and the area resembled China, and perhaps also Vietnam. It is such a nice and relaxing place, we allowed one hour for the early lunch there. The waterfalls We were so eager to explore so we boarded the boat for the next ride and proceeded to the first waterfall: Pee’an (or ‘curtain waterfall’). It took us a good 30 minutes hike to get there, and then another 20 minutes to reach Susung waterfall, where the views are magnificent. During the hike, visitors usually come across a variety of flora and fauna, including pitcher plants, exotic mushrooms and many others. There’s also this one-of-a-kind architectural bamboo bridge. It had rained a bit earlier, and the path was slippery, so we needed to be sure-footed. I advise wearing proper trekking shows in case the path is challenging.  As we reached destination, I was amazed by the massive lianas that serve as a frame to the waterfall. We spent some time, enjoying the sight and taking shots, then returned to Pee’an waterfall, where we swam and soaked in the refreshing water until the rain caught up with us and the guide summoned us for the hike back to base.  The hike to Bengoh Dam was tiring, but we were all so proud of being able to reach most must-see sights in the area. The scenery is mind-blowing, the air is clean and the relaxation after the hike is guaranteed. I advise good shoes, raincoat, plenty of water, extra clothes and mosquito repellent, as well as a good guide!  Two are the tour options: a day-trip or a 2 Day/1 Night tour. If you are not from the area, we recommend the 2 Day/1 Night tour. Your overnight stay will be at a lovely, traditional homestay with Bidayuh features, where you can also enjoy local delicacies such as Ayam Pansuh cooked in bamboo with cassava leaves.  Let the alluring nature of this amazing destination transport you to another world. INFORMATION Drive: Allow 1 to 1 hour and a half drive from Kuching town. Entrance Fees: RM 5 per person Location: Bengoh Dam, Kampung Bengoh, Borneo Height Road, Kuching Attractions: Kampung Sting, Pee’an Waterfall, Susung Waterfall and boat ride Trail: Easy to moderate Hiking time: Around 2 to 3 hours, depending on your fitness level and hiking speed Reservations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1x9IJva3gw4WKBiURWIhc3c59tXFNWBBFwtkMilc2Sa0/edit  Minimum pax: 2 people

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Hands tell us a lot about the people we meet. In the West, we greet each other with a handshake, and Giorgio Gaber, an Italian singer, composer, actor and playwright, even wrote a song about them: ‘Le mani’.  -“A civilised meeting between polite people who stand up and greet each other, a somewhat anonymous meeting made more human by a cordial handshake”. He then continues ‘singing’ different types of hands, with the subtle irony that has always distinguished this artist. It is a fact: in Europe, when we shake hands in that first meeting, we can get an idea of ​​the person we are facing straight away. Moreover, precisely from that initial handshake, we form a judgment that immediately becomes a verdict, often without appeal, upon the character encountered. Tattoos in Borneo When you leave the national borders and you find yourself wandering in the third largest island in the world, even there you realise that the hands can tell you something about an interlocutor. If this, for example, is an Iban, descendant of the Dayak population and, looking at the back of his hands, you notice some tattoos, well… While times have changed, the wisest decision to make is still to leave, and quickly.  According to tradition, that tattoo called ‘tengulun’ means that the owner of that hand may have taken part in a headhunting expedition against someone belonging to an enemy tribe. This person may have returned home with at least one head detached from the shoulder of some unlucky guy as a souvenir. Ill-fated and unlucky or, at least, very unforeseen, since it would probably have been enough to have a ‘pantang rekung’ tattooed on the throat. This tattoo is well-known to strengthen the skin, making it more resistant to the action of the ‘Parang Ilang’, the local sword, which is preparing to snoop behind your Adam’s apple annoyingly indiscreet. The ‘pantang rekung’ is in fact the second tattoo that Iban boys receive around the time of puberty. Tattoos in modern times Nowadays, in the civilised world, tattoos are considered a fashion, a body decoration, a way to make a memory or a situation eternal, and at least an act of rebellion. Frankly, however, I believe that tattoos are not elements that particularly reflect our culture, so much so that, in the first place, getting tattooed is a relatively recent practice and, secondly, almost always the designs we imprint on our skin are part of other cultures, such as that of the Maori or the Japanese. Far be it from me, of course, to express judgments on anyone who has their skin engraved with any type of design: everyone is free to do what they want with their own bodies. Moreover, here I do not intend to speak of a more or less recent Western fashion. I speak instead of people who have made tattoos a kind of logbook of their existence, imprinting themselves on the body with an indelible testimony of what is called the ‘bejalai’, which means journey, wandering, and the path of one’s life. Things that happen on the third largest island in the world. Sarawakian people We are in the Malaysian Borneo, more precisely in Sarawak, meandering between Kuching‘s Rainforest World Music Festival and Miri‘s Borneo Jazz. And it is precisely in Miri, as part of this latest event, that we ​​stumble upon Ukir Anyam Tattoo & Beauty Studio amongst the spaces dedicated to the various aspects of local life. Local people, modern people, nice people with whom pleasantly exchanging a few words. Someone, like Sylvester, sports his dreadlocks; almost everyone has piercings and everyone, absolutely everyone, has a body covered with tattoos. After exchanging a few words, we realise that their tattoos are not the product of a trend, or perhaps of a passing fashion: they are precise symbols of an ancient culture that they do not intend to give up for any reason. For them, getting a traditional tattoo is a way of keeping Iban art and culture alive, my friend Seth tells me, even if, perhaps, one no longer believes in the magical and ritual meaning of tattooing. Obviously there is nothing magical nor ritual in the current equipment used for tattooing: there are machines surmounted by an ink tank, a cross between a futuristic pen and a kind of printer. Their needles enter the skin at a speed of about fifty penetrations per second, reaching a layer of skin not subject to continuous cell changes. This is done to prevent these from regenerating themselves, hence deteriorating the tattoo in a short time. Tattoos from the past In the past, however, the techniques that were used were slower and more painful, and the tools used were more primitive. It was the time when the Dayak dressed in loincloths and adorned themselves with feathers and beads in everyday life and not only to participate in festivals; when the ‘Parang Ilang‘ was used to cut heads and not as an object to be put on display for sale; and when the bodies were covered with tattoos that were dictated by a form of spirituality, or were intended to tell fundamental moments in the life of the one who wore them.  The tattoos were handmade with two wooden sticks: one of them had one or more bamboo spines called ‘kayok tatok’ at one end, and the other was used to strike the first stick in order to push the needle into the skin. These tattoos were made by artists who, in addition to having skilful hands and knowing how to dose their strength adequately, also consulted the spirits so they would reveal the right design to be chosen. The first tattoo ran parallel to the aforementioned bejalai, so that this was engraved on one’s skin, and it was made when one was considered mature. The transition to adulthood was marked with the ‘bungai terung’, represented by a double spiral that it develops from the center of a black spot, taking the shape...

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Borneo Music Festival Live 2022, featuring Alan Walker of the United Kingdom and DJ Soda of South Korea, will be happening on Sept 9 and 10 at Sarawak Cultural Village.   Supported by Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, the event has been highlighted as the first-of-its-kind outdoor music festival in the state featuring renowned artistes from six countries and uniting different music genres on one platform. Borneo Music Festival Live was actually postponed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sarawak is now coming alive again with the festival staged this year. The line-up With a line-up of well-known international artists, especially DJ Alan Walker from the United Kingdom and DJ Soda from South Korea, large-scale live music events such as this strengthens Sarawak’s position as a prime destination in the region. It also goes to show that Sarawak is an ideal destination for music tourism in Malaysia and the region, whether it’s world music, jazz, country, or popular music. Other personalities at the music festival include DJ Alexis Grace, DJ Ice Cream, DJ Chaca, DJ Myvax, DJ Paul, MC Vibe of Malaysia, Nicole Chen from Singapore, DJ X Factor from the Philippines, DJ Venom C and Moski Love from Indonesia. Malaysian singers who will be performing at the festival are Rynn Lim, Thomas Jack and Priscilla Abby, as well as local music bands like At Adau, Tuku’ Kame’ and Buloh Berkocak. Sarawak top in music festivals organising With other music and arts festivals already staged in the state so far, these events were part of the ministry’s unremitting efforts to promote Sarawak’s diverse tourism offerings in culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals. The events organised so far are Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo Jazz Festival, Sibu International Dance Festival, Borneo Cultural Festival, Kuching Festival and Tribute to Queen Concert, while upcoming events are Kuching Waterfront Jazz and Miri Country Music Festival. Citing an example of the revival of the state’s tourism industry, the recently concluded Rainforest World Music Festival was an impressive success with 16,000 visitors recorded, exceeding the target of 12,000 visitors, and Borneo Jazz Festival also achieved the target with 3,008 visitors. Besides, the organising company Firmament Event Studio had been leveraging on their regional presence to offer bundled packages with music festival tickets, hotels and flights to draw more foreign visitors to the state, as well as arranging a special Sarawak trip for influencers and the media. About 30 to 40 food stalls will be set up at the music festival as well for attendees to experience the local cuisines of Sarawak. Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore will also support the event by putting up posters in the lead-up to the event. The tickets Tickets can be purchased online at www.excitix.com.my and the two-day pass is divided into two categories, namely general admission and rock zone. Under Phase 1, the tickets open for purchase are each priced at RM450 for general admission and RM750 for rock zone. For Phase 2, once the tickets under Phase 1 have been sold out, each ticket will be sold for RM500 for general admission and RM800 for rock zone. All ticket prices are subject to RM4 processing fee and admission to the festival is strictly for those aged 18 years and above. For updates on the music festival, music enthusiasts can follow their official Facebook and Instagram page under the name Borneo Music Festival Live 2022.

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Personally, I appreciate traditions in an almost exaggerated way. The phrases, the actions, the events; in one word, a culture that characterises the roots of a people and which, in oral or written form, is handed down from generation to generation. I think it is important to know where we come from and to whom or to what we owe for being who we are today. Sure enough, the world is shrinking, peoples are mingling with each other generating new cultures. These new cultures are the natural result of a mix of original cultures, and we are rapidly moving towards a world in which the new password is globalisation. This is a nice word, an end in itself, were it not for the fact that the meaning attributed to it almost universally does not appear as exclusive. On the contrary, it tends to exclude individual cultures to the advantage of a “non-culture” that must include everyone but that does not represent anyone. We can clearly see this in the controversies surrounding the definition of World Music. This term was coined by the American ethnomusicologist Robert Edward “Bob” Brown to describe music influenced by traditional cultures. World Music has nowadays taken on an almost derogatory meaning for the use of it by the music industry and record labels of the Western world in the 1980s to describe non-English recordings. Multi-instrumentalist and music producer Brian Clark believes that this term classifies “most non-Western music into an outcast group destined to the fringes of music festivals and lonely corner music shops”. Asia is the cradle of ancient civilisations, and in the specific case here in Sarawak, progress in its various forms cannot ignore the past. Today the Dayak people are called Iban, and though they have obviously modernised, they still adopt the principles of a past to which they have always been related. This can be seen in those Iban who still live by choice in the Longhouses, a kind of wooden one-storey “condominiums” often built on stilts. These longhouses give shelter to several families and were originally created with the aim of keeping groups united so to defend oneself from the frequent incursions of other tribes. It can also be seen in those original tattoos that almost every local has, and that reflect symbols of bygone times. Last but not least, it can definitely be seen in the evolution of local music which, while moving forward, always maintains a certain attention to what is produced by its fathers. This is something we noticed straight away at the Rainforest World Music Festival, right from the usual meetings with the artists, where on more than one occasion the thin and not so invisible thread that inextricably binds various generations was remarked.   Pinanak Sentah are six kids with clean faces and reading glasses, something that denounces a lot of time spent on books. They are Malaysians, from Siburan, less than 50km from Kuching, and they are somehow making their musical dream come true. They are a family: brothers and cousins accompanied by their father/uncle, who is also a musician, but who is not active part of the group. Well, not physically at least. But in terms of idea, he is the inspirer model for his children and grandchildren that range from the 15 years of drummer Emmanuel to the 26 years of guitarist Akinson and keyboardist Rick. They play a mix of tribal and modern music accompanied by both traditional and modern instruments. They are able to switch, with the ease of consummate musicians, from a Sape to a bass and an electric guitar, and from wooden xylophones to drums. We chatted with them off the stage, where they sported a certain confidence. The smile that lit up on their faces was not ostentatious or flaunted; it was genuine, spontaneous and typical of that age in which one looks at the world with confidence, aware that the world is in their hands. Then you see them on stage and, assuming there is still room for a transformation, this  transformation takes place there. Emmanuel skilfully strikes his instrument by sliding his sticks on the drums with the exuberance of his 15 years of age; Natalina, 17, who seemed almost intimidated by our questions during the press meeting, replaces her top-of-the-class student glasses with colourful beaded hair clips, immerses herself in a private world of her own, and produces harmonic sounds from her jatung utang, a kind of wooden xylophone, focusing seriously only on her instrument. She smiles little on stage: perhaps the large audience that listens in religious silence intimidates her. In the end, she is still little more than a child; nevertheless, she does not show it and she manages to deliver a feeling of mastery for each instrument that she plays. And only when at the end of each piece the silence is interrupted by thunderous applause, she lets herself go to a satisfied, not so imperceptible smile. What a beauty. Then there is 20 years old Ethania, a little secluded in the background. She plays the bass with delicacy, elegance and confidence. In front of her stand the two front-men, who together represent the ideological synthesis of the group: Ethaniel, 22 years old, a neat haircut, traditional clothing and a Sape in his arms, instrument that he masters without hesitation; and the aforementioned Akinson on the electric guitar: a red ribbon in his hair and an attitude that is somewhat reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. Pinanak Sentah are there, on stage, with their father/uncle who, after passing the baton of tradition to them, observes from behind the scenes this Malaysian musical fable that continues its path towards a future that does not give space to amnesia on the past. These are second generations: groups that grew up with the tribal music of their fathers in the ears, together with rock, jazz and pop. Wayan Balawan is a Balinese musician on the threshold of his fifties, and he is considered one of the...

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Bukit Batu Selabat is mostly famous for its hill and for its waterfall. Giant boulders are scattered all around the hills. Up there you can enjoy views of the whole city: Kuching. This is an amazing sight to witness at night when the city is covered in lights. The best recommendation is to hike and spend a night there camping.  Remember to take with you all your camping gear and gadgets as well as good buddies if you need companions. Hiking in the evening ensures you will be witness of a majestic sunset. After setting up your tent, have a drink, sit on a rock, and take a couple of pictures as a memoir. Trust me, you will be happy to have a memory for your future storytelling.  Do it at night! Before nightfall, make sure you get food prepared for the night, as the skylights there will definitely wow you. Let’s pray for dry weather, of course, and remember to bring plenty of water with you as there are no water reserves at the top. In the morning, you should wake up early if you wish to experience a great sunrise. And if you do not fancy camping out, do not worry, most people only come for a day trip. You can chose to hike in the morning, afternoon or even in the evening. A part from fit junkies, Bukit Batu Selabat is one of the favourite of those who want to challenge themselves to slim down. The waterfall Arong Serait Waterfall is nature at its best, greatly organised and created by Mother Earth. You will feel you are in a unique place, one that is beyond your imagination. The flow of water is so nice, and the stones are arranged in a way that it seems like planned by an architect. Vegetation around the waterfall is so lush, which makes it the perfect place for kids too.  If you chose to go there in the night and you decide to soak yourself at the waterfall, you won’t regret it. Having cold water in nature is absolutely best for mental and physical clearance. There are actually two tiered waterfall in the area, both are amazing and at both of them you can spend the night camping. Since the area is near a source of fresh water, you don’t have to worry about water supplies. All you have to do is set your tent, make a campfire and do proper camping cooking with all the gear you carry with you. I hiked in the day and spent my time at the waterfall, but all options are ok and worth your trip. My only advice is to bring enough supplies for the night and also some mosquito repellent. Good news for nature lovers: you will encounter pitcher plants, unique mushrooms, and frogs, as well as abundant flora and fauna. Hiking and camping It takes about 1-hour hiking from the checkpoint to reach both Bukit Batu Selabat and Arong Serait Waterfall – it’s a 2.5-kilometres trail. Hiking time depends pretty much on individual stamina. Look at this video for inspiration. The checkpoint itself is located at Kampung Selabat, Muara Tebas, not far from the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency, APNM, and it is about 17 kilometres from Kuching city. The hike between the waterfall and the top of the hill should last 30 to 60 minutes. As for the fee, you have to pay RM10 for either hill or waterfall, and if you visit both the ticket is then RM15. Parking there costs RM5 per car.

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Hybrid for the first time in Malaysian festival history, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is back this year to celebrate its 25th year with more heart-racing, foot-stomping world rhythms from June 17-19. Themed ‘Legendary Rainforest Celebration’, this year’s RWMF will return to the Sarawak Cultural Village for the full festival experience, and simultaneously be livestreamed around the world. It will feature 60 performers from a host of countries including Korea, Canada, China, India, Mexico and almost everywhere in between. Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor, who announced this at a press conference here yesterday, said this year will see more individual acts than ever before on the rainforest stage – some live at the Sarawak Cultural Village and some beamed in by the power of modern technology. “This year, among others, we are joined by Bluguru from Australia, who set the soundwaves singing with their incredible blend of musical styles from Bluegrass to Blues, Indian to Celtic, Swing, Jazz and adventure too. “The audience can enjoy the rapid switches from one genre and one instrument to another, backed by soaring vocal harmonies, blistering guitar and fiddle. “We also feature Timo Väänänen, the leading exponent of Finland’s national instrument, the kantele. He will seamlessly blend the traditional model with the modern, electrical 39-string version to give the Sarawak audience a taste of a haunting and unique sound which has graced film, 25 albums and five solo CDs,” she pointed out. Sharzede said for those watching RWMF from home, online viewers will get a two-hour experience nightly of RWMF through their own dedicated platform, combining livestream of the action at the Sarawak Cultural Village with original curated content. She said individuals just need to sign up for one hour at RM25, then extend for another when the rhythm moves them. She added that they could just book two hours in advance over all three evenings. “Expect the same grand performances from global acts, but this time alternating with curated original video material, showing a range of local and international performers in their own environments. “We are also able to showcase a unique range of acts which might never have previously been able to stage a whole set. Meet Sarawak’s cultural practitioners of purposeful sound – our chanters, drummers, and pratuokng players, all at home,” she said. Sharzede said this year is a celebration but it is also about legacy building, with Randy Raine Reusch, originator of RWMF, returning to the stage and behind the scenes – the guiding hand of the artistic content. “He is joined by two rising stars of Sarawak music, Alena Murang and Bob Meldrick of At Adau, as Randy passes the baton to the next generation of musicians who grew up with this festival. “Our two Sarawak performers share their award-winning experience of video production and international travel with the next set of performers to appear on the stage that first welcomed them,” she added. RWMF workshops, she said, often the highlight and defining feature of the festival, continue this year. She said these workshops will bring together diverse musicians from many disciplines, drawing together these talents under unifying themes to showcase, jam and create unique music in the setting of the Sarawak Cultural Village. “Our Friday will kick off this year with our ‘Sape Gathering’. We are calling together anyone who can strum a Sape in Sarawak to get together for a grand sape jam. “This year, we have a kiddie’s workshop to bring on the next generation where they can play with instruments, create art and enjoy the festival ground to their hearts’ contents,” she said. Early Bird ticket sale is happening now until May 14 for both the physical and virtual concerts. Those interested in the physical concert can grab tickets in the different categories – Adult 1-Day Pass (RM150), Adult 3-Day Pass (RM375), Child 1-Day Pass (RM80), Child 3-Day Pass (RM155) and 1-Day Family Package Pass – two adults and two children (RM400). The physical tickets are available for purchase via rwmf.net. The virtual blocks will feature handpicked artistes that will showcase the allure of world music from both Sarawak and the international stage. Audiences can choose to buy the virtual block of one hour each depending on their preferred lineup. Virtual tickets will be sold at a later date which will be announced soon. Enjoy Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2022!

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The Rainforest World Music Festival (often abbreviated as RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating the diversity of world music, held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, with daytime music workshops, cultural displays, craft displays, food stalls, and main-stage evening concerts. The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is back and promises to be better than ever. Rainforest World Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and there is no better way to celebrate the momentous occasion by hosting a hybrid event for the first time since the beginning of the music festival in 1998. This year’s festival – themed “Legendary Rainforest Celebration” – will be held from 17-19 June 2022. The physical concert is set to take place at the Sarawak Cultural Village while viewers can also livestream it from their homes via an online viewing platform. Welcome To The Land of the Hornbills With the objective of bringing the world back together with music, Rainforest World Music Festival will be welcoming back a host of international performers from Canada, India, USA, Finland, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Bhutan and South Korea among others, with Majlis Seni Sarawak mixing traditional Sarawakian music with international flavours opening the three-day show in a first-time musical collaboration with Sarawak Tourism Board. The Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 will also feature the sounds and rhythms of Sarawak, showcasing musical elements from the diverse ethnic groups of Sarawak through exhilarating performances that will elevate Sarawak’s unique tribal flavours on to an international pedestal. Early Bird ticket sale started on 18th April 2022 for both the physical and virtual concerts. Those interested can go to rwmf.net to grab tickets in the different categories – Adult 1-Day Pass (RM 150), Adult 3-Day Pass (RM375), Child 1-Day Pass (RM80), Child 3-Day Pass (RM155) and 1-Day Family Package Pass- 2 Adult and 2 Children (400). Click HERE! Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has been named the official airline partner of the Rainforest World Music Festival. The collaboration, which is also a continuation of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG)’s partnership with STB will see Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Journify offering unbeatable deals comprising flights and 3-day event pass to drive visitors and drive footfall to Sarawak.

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Yoga and health are inseparable, just like food and drink. Many in Asia wrongly think that yoga is an old people’s exercise, but that mindset is totally wrong as many young people nowadays accept Yoga as a relaxing practice that leads to a healthy lifestyle. Sure enough, in term of burning calories, yoga is quite a slow activity compared to other types of exercise; however, if taking into consideration the aspect of mental health, yoga is indeed winning its mark.  We are all aware that, despite of the feeling of so many beautiful moments in life, our human brain tend to fill with worries and negativity, mainly due to work stress, a troubled relationship or any other similar cause. Yoga is believed to be the miracle cure to these mental ailments.  Yoga originated in India and it’s a term that comes from Sanskrit, meaning ‘to find peace and relaxation’, hence it became a form of meditation. It is a proven fact that a disciplined Yoga practice leads to the achievement of peace and relaxation, as well as fulfilling the control of body and mind.  Hinduism encompasses several types of Yoga, amongst which is Classical Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Hatha Yoga, while in Buddhism, Yoga is known as Jainism and Tantra. Many nowadays will state that Yoga is a form of aerobatic exercise. By practising Yoga, you will build muscle strength, improve body balance and flexibility, reduce body pain, achieve stronger bones and increase blood flow. Yoga helps us to focus and to calm down and relax, increasing our level of of happiness. For the ladies, the great news is that by practising Yoga regularly, you can maintain an amazing body shape! Few studies have concluded that Yoga can help fight cancer. Whether this is correct or not, one thing is certain: practising Yoga correctly does no harm! Rainforest World Music Festival 2018 in Kuching, Sarawak, was complete of Wellness and Lifestyle class as usual. This, the organiser said, was thanks to the positive and overwhelming response they got from the previous year. And like the previous year, Asian Itinerary (Stefano and Cato) once again took part in the Yoga session. At 11am of the first day at RWMF we followed the Power Yoga class introduction by teacher Louise, who is indeed a great Yoga instructor; she had extra yoga mats for those who did not bring theirs, and started off by showing us the poses properly, in a professional manner. Some of the poses, I must admit, were hard for me, but that was partly due to my not exercising regularly, hence my body was not so flexible. That was ok though, as Yoga is all about understanding your body after all. The 45 minute session with Louise and her team were really amazing. She started it with basic step and progressed slowly up to more challenging poses. Louise runs Come Reza Yoga, which Spanish language means Eat ad Pray, both important elements in our lives.  To wrap it up, Rainforest World Music Festival is indeed the perfect and ideal place to get introduced to Yoga. You should always take into consideration the fact that Yoga is one of the oldest traditional form of exercise, one that help shaping body, mind and soul.  For those interested in Yoga class, please note that Come Reza Yoga has a centre in Kuching. Their address is 1st FL., Sublot 1, Survey Lot 3262 Lot 2089, Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93150 Kuching, Malaysia. For more details can log into their Facebook page https://web.facebook.com/enjoyyogaa/ 

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Are you familiar with beads? Have you ever come across ancient ones? Generally, beads are well-known objects the world over. Some of them are believe to have existed for over 100,000 years! They are usually employed as small decorative objects and come in variety types of shapes, sizes and colour. Beads can be made up of stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood and pearl, and are later collaged together with threads or strings. Despite being previously mostly known as jewellery, beads in modern times are more related to art and craft.    History tells us that the use of beads indicated social status, wealth and power amongst the natives of Borneo. Narrowing it down to the Sarawak area, original beads there were made out of wood, shell, stone, glass, wild boar and leopard teeth and also bones. It can be said that beads in Sarawak are quite unique as they are related with the region several ethnic groups. The ethnic influence played a major part in the pattern and technique of beads making, with each ethnic groups having different patterns and meaning of their beads, commonly used as jewellery and also sawn into traditional clothing. To give you a few examples, beads in Iban communities – Iban is the largest ethnic group in Sarawak – are used in a traditional piece of clothing (Ngepan Iban) called Tango.  A tango is worn on a lady’s shoulder and is an essential part of women traditional dress. Bidayuh ethnic group uses beads as the necklaces, while the Orang Ulu group mostly uses beads in headbands, traditional dresses, hats and accessories such as reed baskets. Most of these beads are worn by natives during Gawai Festival. The yearly Kuching Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is mainly a celebration for culture, and as beads and culture are inseparable, the festival Craft Bazaar showcases a great range of beads made ad used by Sarawak indigenous people. There you can see both beads belonging to the past, and beads used in modern times, sawn onto handbags and modern times clothings. I am a local and I have visited Rainforest World Music Festival craft bazaar every year in the past five years. I admit I really admire the beads made by my own ethnic people. Sure, the variety of beads around the world is quite wide, but Borneo beads design and colours and patters are so unique, you will not be able to find a match anywhere else. Similarities perhaps many, but never exactly the same. In fact, Sarawak takes the beads business quite seriously by organising a Beads Conference: https://greendaun.com/borneo-international-beads-conference-2017/ – This internationally acclaimed Beads Conference has seen many countries participating over the years, and is highly recommended for those who love beads, or want to know more about them. There will also be a special craft bazaar in conjunction with this event, showcasing many traditional and contemporary beaded jewellery on sale. Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is back this year from 12 to 14 July – for tickets and program click HERE. This will be your chance to visit the Craft Bazaar, open daily from 10,30 am to 8,30 pm, and grab some interesting specimen. For Sarawak Tourism Board website and events, click on https://sarawaktourism.com  Unique Sarawak beads are waiting for you!

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The ever popular Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) happening in Kuching, Malaysian Borneo, is not an ordinary festival to the world crowd. Running since the early 90s, this  yearly festival never failed its audience and keeps bringing various talented performers from all over the world. Last year Rainforest World Music Festival, organized at the Sarawak Cultural Village, SCV, gathered a big audience at the performance of Tahitian group O Tahiti E. This amazing team who managed to woo the crowd through their amazing dancing movements was not just an ordinary group but a famous one the world over. Seeing their dance and listening to their music made me move as well. While their appearance reminded me of Moana, the Disney movie, they were for real, and every workshop they joined was a great success too. Same I can say for most of the groups invited year after year at this amazing gathering. This year, Rainforest World Music Festival is expected to bring 27 performers, among them Danai Kuwai (Sarawak), Dona Onete (Brazil), Elisouma (Comoros Islands), Kevin Locke (USA), Votosi (Poland) and many more, as well as the extraordinary and interesting combination of Sarawakian music in local band At Adau. For a complete list of performers, click HERE. But it does not stop at the music. In line with FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, Rainforest World Music Festival does not miss the chance to display Russian culture through the performance of a Oyme, a group from the Republic of Mordovia, part of the Russian Federation. And if music is not your cup of tea, please do not retreat: Rainforest World Music Festival also provides its cheerful public with other activities such as Wellness and Lifestyle: Yoga and Zumba classes, Sape sessions, Sampeh stories, Children’s sessions, Rainforest Crafts Bazaar, Food and Village Mart and also mini sessions known as workshops. Don’t miss out a chance to join us at Rainforest World Music Festival this year.Tickets can be booked and buy online through http://rwmf.net/tickets/ or https://www.facebook.com/rwmf.official/. My advice, book early for affordable prices. See you there, and enjoy the festival.

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