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Avevo grandi aspettative quando son salito sull’autobus che da Santubong, nel Borneo malese, portava in città a Kuching per assistere all’anteprima del Rainforest World Music Festival 2015, che includeva un esibizione del gruppo maldiviano Harubee, che non mi ha affatto deluso! I 16 giovani membri della banda Harubee sono esplosi con energia una volta conquistato il palco vestiti con parei e con i loro stupendi tamburi in bella mostra. Hanno suonato una serie di canzoni bodu beru, uno degli aspetti più antichi della cultura Dhivehi, del tutto pertinente al tema di un festival musicale che presenta le attività culturali di vari paesi. I primi brani del gruppo hanno avuto ritmi alquanto lenti che sono pian piano saliti in un crescendo che ha incluso una fenomenale improvvisazione ed una spontaneità senza pari. Lo show ha mostrato anche delle splendide danze, e la folla al centro commerciale Plaza Merdeka di Kuching ha applaudito e ballato con loro fino alla fine del concerto. Questo mi ha dato la motivazione per fare una ricerca sul gruppo, nonché la voglia di fare una chiacchierata con alcuni dei suoi membri. Questa ricerca mi ha portato ai seguenti risultati: HARUBEE  La parola Harubee è il saluto tradizionale di un sultano: durante le celebrazioni della festa musulmana di Eid, la gente marcia con tamburi e trombe in una cerimonia chiamata Harubee Ah Vadaigathun. La parola è in seguito diventata il simbolo di questo gruppo di giovani uomini che condividono l’amore per la musica tradizionale maldiviana: il bodu beru. Alla fine degli anni ’90, gli Harubee altro non erano che un piccolo gruppo di amici: uno di loro suonava un dabiya – una brocca di latta – a mo’ di percussione, mentre gli altri cantavano. Non hanno mai smesso, evolvendosi nel corso degli anni fino a raggiungere l’apice della scena musicale alle Maldive, dove sono la miglior banda bodu beru. Hanno suonato ovunque: a festival, ad eventi culturali, in bar e club, e anche per strada! BODU BERU Bodu beru letteralmente significa ‘grande tamburo’ ed è uno degli aspetti preservati più antichi e più rappresentativi della cultura Dhivehi (la lingua delle Maldive). Si tratta di una delle attrazioni turistiche più popolari per chi visita le Maldive, che viene suonata periodicamente in ogni hotel. Questa musica viene solitamente eseguita da gruppi di 20 persone, tra cui spiccano un cantante e tre batteristi, il che lo rende uno spettacolo suggestivo. Sembra che la musica bodu beru sia stata portata nelle isole Maldive da marinai e schiavi che vi arrivavano da varie parti dell’Africa e dalla penisola arabica nel periodo tra l’ 11 ° ed il 18 ° secolo; questi magnifici ritmi a percussione sono stati tramandati di generazione in generazione al fine di preservare le loro ascendenze africane. Al giorno d’oggi, questi ritmi scandiscono praticamente il vero pulsare di queste isole. Le basi dei brani bodu beru sono formate da beat battuti su tamburi di pelle di capra che hanno un design tradizionale. Il bodu beru è sempre stata la musica della gente comune, suonata e cantata per rilassarsi dopo una dura giornata di lavoro. Esistono vari stili di bodu beru: baburu, nala, kaashimajaa, hedhi-beru, taki e zamaani. La maggior parte dei brani che compongono i repertori bodu beru sono così antichi che le loro origini sono andate perse completamente. Gli Harubee sfruttano il concetto di ‘antiche voci sui giovani volti’, migliorandone lo stile e rivitalizzandolo in maniera tale che il bodu beru, in passato considerato qualcosa di passato, sta tornando di moda. LE CANZONI E LA MUSICA Sbagliavo a pensare che i testi dei brani bodu beru avessero significati profondi: la particolarità più significativa del bodu beru è infatti il fatto che, ad accompagnare la rumorosa musica, ci sono testi per lo più senza un vero senso, un misto di parole locali, parole di paesi vicini ed alcune parole africane. Oggigiorno, i gruppi moderni hanno creato canzoni significative scritte interamente nella lingua locale Dhivehi e cantate al ritmo di bodu beru. Queste canzoni parlano di eroismo, di romanticismo o di satira, e in generale della vita di ogni giorno. I brani bodu beru solitamente iniziano con un ritmo lento sottolineato dai tamburi e dalle danze. Gli artisti indossano un sarong ed una camicia bianca a maniche corte. Man mano che i brani prendono slancio e raggiungono un crescendo sempre più veloce e più rumoroso, uno o due dei ballerini si staccano dal gruppo e fanno movimenti frenetici, e in alcuni casi arrivando pure ad uno stato di semi-trance. Il tamburellare viene fatto a mani nude su tamburi dal design tradizionale ricoperti di pelle di capra o di razza, ed è accompagnato da una campanella e da un onugandu – un piccolo pezzo di bambù con scanalature orizzontali che raschiato produce suoni rochi. Il modo di danzare dei membri della band è quasi sempre frenetico. _____________________________ Tutti i membri della banda Harubee hanno un lavoro a tempo pieno e si gestiscono i loro impegni concertistici in base ai loro impegni lavorativi. La loro formazione infatti cambia a seconda di chi riesce a farsi dare le ferie e chi no. Il bodu beru è la loro passione, e tale deve rimanere. Tutti loro concordano nel dire che quando la musica stessa alla quale sono appassionati diventa un lavoro a tempo pieno, la passione lentamente ed inevitabilmente scompare. Gli Harubee sono apparsi su National Geographic Channel e sulla BBC, e hanno suonato in eventi dal vivo, fiere del turismo, grandi eventi in hotel, fiere e festival internazionali, a volte anche al fianco di grandi artisti. Hanno praticamente girato tutto il mondo: India, Emirati Arabi Uniti, Russia, Sri Lanka, Malesia, Cina e Germania. Il concerto degli Harubee al Rainforest World Music Festival 2015 è stato fenomenale e coinvolgente, caratterizzato da un’energia unica, assieme ad una mostra di virtuosismi che il pubblico ha totalmente apprezzato. E allora un hurra per gli Harubee, e se mai avrete l’opportunità di vedere uno dei loro concerti, non fatevela scappare! Ascoltate la musica degli Harubee su https://soundcloud.com/harubee La...

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VIDEO POST: The Maldivian group Harubee share a love for the traditional Maldivian music, bodu beru . Watch them here at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2015. Read Asianitinerary article on Harubee on http://asianitinerary.com/harubee-explosive-bodu-beru-music-from-maldives/ 

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VIDEO POST: I Mah Meri sono Orang Asli, indigeni provenienti dalla Malesia peninsulare che hanno vissuto lì da prima del 1000 aC. Con maschere spaventose, tamburi di registro e le signore in gonne mengkuang, i Mah Meri portano con sé gli antichi riti ed il folklore che ancora mantengono nella loro comunità a Carey Island. Qui i Mah Meri al Rainforest World Music Festival 2015 Leggete l’intervista di Catohrinner Joyce Guri al manager die Mah Meri group, Mr. Rashid Esa, per Asian Itinerary : http://asianitinerary.com/interview-with-mah-meri/ 

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Mah Meri, pronounced Max Mri, is a native group mostly native to Penisular Malaysia.  They are one of the 18 Orang Asli groups present in Malaysia, and can usually can be found in Pulau Carey, in Selangor province. Based on the data collection from Malaysian government’s Orang Asli Office, in 2005 there were about 2200 Mah Meri people. These people speak Besisi, which is part of Semelaic sub-branch of Aslian languages, part of Austroasiatic languages. Mah Meri’s village headman is known as Batin, and the group is famous for Tarian Jo’oh – or Jungle dance – and for Tarian Topeng – or Mask dance. I knew from the festival program that Mah Meri was going to perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival, and with persistence and luck I managed to track down their group manager, Mr. Rashid Esa. Let me share with you the essence of my interview with Mr. Rashid. Asian Itinerary: Can you tell us a bit about your band? Rashid Esa: Yes sure; I am the leader of Mah Meri group, and this year we are bringing to the Rainforest World Music Festival a different group, one with people who are real performers in their local villages. These people are not professional musicians but simple villagers performing their rituals, the new year celebrations, the healing dances, and more. AI: Where do you hail from? RE: We are from Carey Island, in Selangor, Malaysia. AI: Tell me please about your music. RE: Well, our music is very similar to the Malay music, the instruments are violins, rebana (or tambourine), the gong, but the really unique traditional instrument in the Orang Asli music is the Centong Buluh, a bamboo stamping tube that all Orang Asli including Mah Meri use. AI: What is the message you wish to transcend at the Rainforest World Music Festival? RE: Our main purpose of being here is to promote their small culture. There are only about 4000 Orang Asli and we want to tell the world that these 4000 people are unique and very special, as I said early. Everything that was said about them in the past was wrong, their tribe name is different, their own name is different. And this has lead us to find out more on who they are. From their DNA we have realized they are not malays or Chinese, they are not Indian nor are Indonesian. So the question is, who are they? And if this question is unanswered, then we can at least ask ourselves: when did they come to Malaysia? It must have been pretty early if we judge from their ancestral practices, their music and their religion. It brings to mind John Lennon’s lyrics, where he says there is no country, no boundary, no religion and no war. These people’s religion is such that there is no life and there is no death; they believe that when we die we become a spirit and we  still live on. This is reflected in their celebration called the spirit day, where they celebrate together with the spirit. This is the crucial difference between our society and theirs, and we hope that we can understand it and not interfere with their belief.   If we do so, then we will destroy their community. AI: Is this your first time performing at the Rainforest World Music Festival? RE: No, this is our fourth time, but we always come with a different group. AI: What  do you think makes you different from the other groups at the Rainforest World Music Festival? RE: These are real people, performing different rituals from different villages. So, here we are, bringing you the sound of the rainforest with forest people who produce that sound and that music. AI: How long have you been in the music industry? RE: With the Mah Meri, very very long, more than 30 years. We represent 4000 of them, promoting their culture through music. Some people prefer to fight for their rights, maybe through demonstrations, but with the Mah Meri we do it through their culture. Music is not the only aspect, we also promote their sculptures, as they will remain in the times. Also, in the festival workshop we are going to introduce the oldest origami in the world, the leaf origami. AI: In your opinion what is the connection between music and nature? RE: I believe it is one and the same thing. Take the harvest for instance: the Orang Asli sing a song about it, tell a story, and this is not only to heal or to change the world, but also to remind themselves that there is a power beyond the known. And this is the relationship between the other world and this world, things that we cannot see and that it gets expressed in their music. So they sing a song, and chant it over and over; we call it music but they called it differently. They are telling the spirit that they are now planting and during this act is also preservation. You cut a tree you must use the wood, you kill an animals you must eat the meat, you carve a sculpture you must at least leave the sculpture there. This is a very different culture that you cannot find elsewhere in Malaysia today. I take leave from Rashid Esa, filled with this special information he shared with me, and happy to know more about Mah Meri and their music and culture. To know more about Mah Meri, and to experience their culture yourself, visit the Mah Meri Cultural Village website http://mmcv.org.my/web/ for programs and prices. Watch Thomas Gennaro video of Mah Meri at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2015: http://asianitinerary.com/mah-meri-at-the-rainforest-world-music-festival-2015/

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VIDEO POST: Epi viene dalla Mongolia, esercita il canto con la gola e suona il morin khuur, tradizionale violino mongolo. Qui lo vediamo in esibizione al Rainforest World Music Festival 2015! Per informazioni sul canto di gola mongolo, leggere: http://asianitinerary.com/epi-and-the-secret-behind-mongolian-throat-singing-2/ e http://asianitinerary.com/sedaa-mongolian-funk/  

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VIDEO POST: I Culture Shot, noti anche come La La La Li Tam Pong, in un esibizione al Rainforest World Music Festival 2015.

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The Understanding of Music I have been attending the Rainforest World Music Festival for the past two years and every time I wonder what kind of music this festival will bring me. Most of the time I have thought it was all about traditional music, and it was not a wrong guess, but there was more to that. Let me explain you. The Rainforest World Music Festival is not exactly confined to traditional music, it is also to do with music that connects human beings with nature and people. Music that was introduced or inspired since long time ago. Heritage music, a combination of culture, ethnic and forest. Let me give you an example: Lan E Tuyang, a popular performer from Sarawak, plays the Sape, a traditional guitar which has a calm and natural sound. Epi the Mongolian sing through his throat in order to communicate with nature and especially with animals. Kapela Malisz play their music to get Polish people in a dancing mood. You can see it is all connected to something, and that something is always people and forest and nature. Try to imagine a Sape, made of wood, a special wood. Wood, we can get that from a  tree which is found in a forest. No complicate concept about the ‘hidden’ scope of the Rainforest World Music Festival: it is not only jazz or rock and roll music, it is original music produced long time ago to communicate with people and nature, a music that was upgraded from time to time, and that is what makes it very interesting. If I had to describe the Rainforest World Music Festival in simple words, I would say it is an organised, very indigenous, harmonious, humorous, beautiful, full of smile, natural, multicultural, energetic, very family oriented chant. Performers at the event talk: Kapela Maliszow – Poland Overall, we think this is a good mix of all cultures of the world. It feels real for us, it involves various groups, it is balanced and amazing, something for everyone. It is a fun and advanced festival where nothing seems to be missed. I understand that Asia is a continent full of several cultures which have incredibly exotic music, but music from Europe and Australia and elsewhere is also good, so, well done for the festival organizers for managing to mix us all. Ukandanz – France/Ethiopia We think the Rainforest World Music Festival is spectacular because the people are very friendly and open-minded, and Malaysia is a very great place to play in, very open. Sarawak is so far from France, we needed 26 hour to arrive here, so for us it is a very nice opportunity and we are very thankful to those who invited us here to share. What I find particularly interesting is to see so many people wishing to defend their kind of music. This is what I think makes this festival special. Each group and team bring their own music, and makes the festival alive. Shooglenifty – Scotland We feel very lucky to be we here, this is our first time and we already feel the Rainforest World Music Festival is a progressing festival, it develops and it is therefore very important to local people. It encourages their local culture and it strengthens it to the point that tribes are more confident to bring their culture forward and not to destroy it in this 21st century. The festival is also a great platform to share music, dance and joy. I would say that I find it a bit critical that only Sarawak Tourism Board and Malaysia Airlines mainly sponsored this festival. There should be more corporate sponsors to understand the importance of this exotic festival, mixing people form all over the world and putting them in contact with this environment, the jungle. May I also suggest to the organizers to perhaps put more emphasize on the environment and how to preserve it, perhaps through workshops or discussion boards on how to conserve the rainforest, as this is the Rainforest World Music Festival and this is why people are here. Check out dates for the 2016 Rainforest World Music Festival at www.rwmf.net Asianitinerary stayed at the Damai Beach Resort – http://asianitinerary.com/damai-beach-resort/

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Taiwanese artist, Sangpuy, will share his many musical similarities with the Dayaks of Borneo at the forthcoming Rainforest World Music Festival to be held from August 7 to 9. Believed to be the descendants of Austronesian tribes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Madagascar and the Pacific Islands, this Taiwanese aborigine will showcase his musical presentation reflecting one of the oldest surviving cultures that includes the practice of headhunting, a passion for tattoos, animism and reverence for the natural world. Bringing back the old traditional music of the aborigines of his country, Sangpuy’s music presentation creates a quiet spiritual atmosphere evoking the blessings of ancestors and the origins of life and sings in praise of ancient ceremonies from a time when the gods of the natural world were respected. Also known as Sangpuy Katatepan Mavaliyw, he describes himself as an old soul in a young body presenting the ancient music of the Pinuyumayan tribe. With his mesmerizing voice and unique chant combined with the traditional instruments of the Pinuyumayan, he staged a transcendent experience to bringing his audience to the place where the indigenous people see the wind as friend and live side by side with nature and its spirits. Sangpuy was born and raised in the Pinuyumayan community of Katatipul in Taitung and from early age he felt attracted to the music of the tribal people. He sees his music as a medium to promote and preserve the culture of his tribe and performs in music festivals and events in different countries including performing at Riddu Riddu music festival in Norway. “When we performed abroad, the response to our music was so overwhelmingly accepted that it has given me the strength to continue my path of traditional tribal music,” Sangpuy said. His debut album released in November 2012, contains 14 works of which seven are of ancient origin and the other half are new compositions which focuses on life, earth and the relationship with ancient spirits and human beings. On top of that, the Taiwanese artist also makes traditional instruments such as the nose flute and the mouth harp, a typical instrument which is used by Taiwan’s indigenous people and which makes a sound which is unique to the country. Festivals entrance tickets are now available online and for more information on the festival, please log on to its website at http://rwmf.net Watch a video of Sanpuy at http://asianitinerary.com/sangpuy-dayak-heritage-at-rwmf-2015/

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DAMAI BEACH RESROT Kuching , Sarawak 93756, Malaysia   +6 082-846999 / +6 082-238007 http://damaibeachresort.com/ Our hosts the Sarawak Tourist Board kindly accommodated us in the Damai Beach Resort. Located on a tropical hillside covered in the world’s oldest rainforest, overlooking the South China Sea and neighboring beautiful Teluk Bandung sandy beach, Damai Beach Resort occupies 36 hectares of sea-fronting land. The lush rainforest that frames the resort belongs to the majestic Mount Santubong, which offers a series of hiking trails to the nature aficionados. Numerous sightings of birds and reptiles have been recorded by hikers, and the tracks are clean and easy to follow. Perfect for a morning stroll! Nearby places include the Damai Puri Resort and a shopping mall where you can find a 7/11 and other shops, and where festivals, fairs and musical events are organized periodically. The area in general is a hive of activities, from water-sports to trekking, from mountain biking to swimming. Damai Beach Resort is also a stone’s throw from the Sarawak Cultural Village, where the Rainforest World Music Festival is held annually in June. The resort has a good family-friendly atmosphere and had a busy vibe to it. Rooms at the hilltop have a great ocean and mountain views, and are quite large by standards. The balcony is perfect for those evening relaxing moments. There is also the option of beachfront wooden chalets surrounded by an English lawn and connected via zigzagging paths. Damai Beach Resort features two swimming pools, a large one between the main reception and the sea, and a smaller one complete of a waterfall located at the hillside, for great views over the beautiful scenery while kissed by a glorious Borneo sun. Both breakfast and the buffet dinner were of a good quality, and the variety of food offered is excellent. There is a lounge area near the reception, and a pub where to enjoy good draft beer and a game of pool. The staff is friendly and attentive, and we enjoyed their attentions during our stay. Damai Beach Resort is a 45 minutes drive north of Kuching, the capital city of the Malaysian State of Sarawak.

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Mathew Ngau Jau of Lan E Tuyang is a craftsman, a stone sculptor and a musician. I met him at the media and artists canteen and we shared lunch and a nice chat. He had just returned from a concert in Milano (yes!) where he said “it was so cold, it was a taxi-airport-hotel-concert-hotel-taxi-airport trip, not much else”. I commented that the Italian wine must have been a good warmer, to which he laughed loud. His trio Lan E Tuyang is a traditional Kenyah (the ethnic group Orang Ulu) band performing exotic native Kenyah tunes, comprising two Sapes, a percussionist and a warrior dancer. Mathew plays the Sape, a quite popular string musical instrument amongst traditional indigenous people in Borneo, a three-stringed boat-shaped lute with colourful and ethnic patterns. The Sape produces haunting and mesmerizing sound and is in danger of being forgotten due to lack of interest among the younger generations. No wonder Mathew has been used as the icon of Rainforest World Music Festival. Recently PETRONAS, as part of their continuous commitment to the preservation of Malaysia’s traditional arts and culture, has contributed to this preservation by donating RM 50,000 (12,500 US$) to Lan E Tuyang to assist in their continuous efforts to preserve, nurture and promote the Sape music through various educational and promotional efforts. The music of the Kenyahs, hailing from the interiors of Borneo in the area along the Baram river, is very much part of the community and its everyday life. Mathew has been playing the Sape of Sarawak since he was little, and not only is he an accomplished musician on the instrument, but he also makes the sapes, paints, dances, and is an expert on the blowpipe. Lan E Tuyang is a proponent of the Sape music; they have performed in Germany, France, Australia and the US. They also teach Sape music to the younger generations in Kuching and elsewhere, promoting Malaysian traditional performing arts. Follow Lan E Tuyang on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lane.tuyang Follow Lan E Tuyang on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ky703N1rZDY#at=28 LAN E TUYANG HOMESTAY Mathew kindly invited me to a future stay at his Lan E Tuyang Homestay, which provides a unique opportunity for all tourists and local alike to experience the way of life of the local people of Sarawak along with their indigenous and traditional cultures. Lan E Tuyang Homestay provides all visitors an opportunity to experience a place in truly authentic, comfortable and homely settings. Lan E Tuyang Homestay is ready to showcase the cultures and traditions of the Orang Ulu and Bidayuh of Sarawak. Lan E Tuyang Homestay also takes all necessary measures to safeguard their cultures and traditions from the negative social and cultural impacts from visitors. Contact Michael Ngau Jau at the Lan E Tuyang Homestay on +60 138203365 / +60 198749384 / Mathew_ngau@yahoo.com

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