| SARAWAK’S OWN TUKU KAME AT
THE RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Every year the Rainforest World Music Festival puts on stage about
16 different groups from all over the world. All the groups have
a strong ethnic identity in their music and performance.
As the festival is based and homegrown in Sarawak, there will always
be Sarawak groups presenting the myriad musical culture and instruments
as well.
TUKU KAME is not a newcomer to the festival. They have played 3
times in the last seven festivals and are also the resident ethnic
performance troupe at the Sarawak Cultural Village where the festival
takes place.
Narawi Rashidi, leader of the band, says that this year, they will
be attempting to show a bigger emphasis on Sarawak and Malaysian
traits even though their music will still be along the lines of
ethnic world beat fusion.
For 2005, TUKU KAME will be assembling together a lot of Sarawak
instruments like the sape, jatung utang, satang, perunchong and
even an instrument they have invented themselves – the sapelele
which is a cross between the sape and the ukulele. There will also
be gongs and the big beduks or drums and the native bamboo flute.
The melodies they use will be traditional Sarawak tunes that were
once in danger of passing out of existence.
Apart from this, they will also be presenting Malay music like
the joget and the zapin. These will be accompanied by the rebana
and the ta.
Alongside TUKU KAME at this year’s festival will be FAIZ
ALI FAIZ from Pakistan, SHANNON with Celtic music, ACQUARAGIA DROM
from Romania with their wild gypsy music, CHULALORNKORN UNIVERSITY
ENSEMBLE from Thailand, FLORENCIO MESS AND THE KEK’CHI STRINGS
from the rainforests of Belize, THE FOGHORN STRINGBAND with kicking
bluegrass music from the USA, a group from Kurdestan, SARAWAN, the
spectacular YELEMBA D’ABIDJAN from Ivory Coast and many more.
The Sarawak Tourism Board has been the organizer of the festival
since the festival was launched in 1998. From its early days when
the term ‘world music’ was still relatively unknown,
the festival has now grown into an event of immense proportions.
Hotels down at Santubong which are the nearest ones to the Sarawak
Cultural Village are reported to have had bookings for the festival
since the end of last year.
Malaysia Airlines, Unilever, Heineken Music, fRoots magazine and
Biaramas have all come in with invaluable support and sponsorship
to add to the dynamics of the Rainforest World Music Festival.
Tickets this year are all one day tickets which will be valid for
the whole day, enabling you to attend all the afternoon workshops
as well as the night shows.
They are already out on sale priced at RM60.00 per day. Children
aged 3 – 12 years old can obtain tickets at RM30.00 per day.
Free admittance would be extended to children aged 2 and below.
Tickets can be obtained from the Visitors' Information Centres in
Kuching, Miri and Sibu, the Sarawak Cultural Village, and Sarawak
Tourism Board or call Rudy at 082-423600 or e-mail: rudy@sarawaktourism.com
Packages are also available from several tour agencies and hotels.
Check out the website at www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com for more
information and contact numbers.
There will be 2 stages side by side at the festival venue where
16 groups from all over the world will be performing on. And while
the bands are hand picked and juxtaposed to try and get the best
varied balance every year, the audience too, adds to the atmosphere
and joy of the whole event.
Yeoh Jun Lin
Artistic Director
Rainforest World Music Festival
|
