By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 19: The ‘Sarawak Folktales For All’ book series, featuring stories from five ethnic groups in Sarawak, will be donated to 1,254 primary schools, including 223 Chinese primary schools, and 211 libraries across the State.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah highlighted the Ministry’s support through the Facilitation Fund for Heritage, Arts, and Culture in bringing forth this collection of Sarawak folktales from the Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Chinese, and Punan ethnic groups.
“These folktales resonate deeply with our people in Sarawak. Through the presentation of this collection, we aim to foster a profound understanding and appreciation of each other’s heritage.
“As the young generations grow, they will be able to understand the culture and underlying messages encapsulated in these folktales, which transcend various divides,” he told a press conference at the book presentation ceremony held at the MTCP’s office in Baitul Makmur II Building in Petra Jaya here today.
Emphasising collaboration, Abdul Karim mentioned the Ministry’s close collaboration with Majlis Adat Istiadat and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in heritage preservation through publication and research.
Furthermore, the Ministry is dedicated to extending this initiative to cover folktales from all 34 ethnic groups.
“These incredible folktales are not meant to be confined to printed formats. In our pursuit of promoting the creative industry, we aspire to transform these stories into performing arts and animations.
“Additionally, we envision adapting some of these folktales into computer games, thus bridging tradition with modern storytelling,” he elaborated.
Launched earlier last year, the ‘Sarawak Folktales For All’ book series comprised the tale of ‘Kumang and the Ungrateful Python’ from the Iban community, ‘The Widow and the Colorful Clothed Frog’ (Bidayuh), ‘Udin and The Transformed Patin Fish’ (Malay), ‘Modi and The Magic Stones’ (Punan) and ‘Three Good Friends and A Hungry Dog’ (Chinese).
The folktales in this collection are available in three languages, namely English, Malay, and Chinese.
In a previous report, it was informed that four of the folktales collected in the series were gathered by MTCP principal assistant secretary-cum-local anthropologist Dr Elena Chai during her research in the local community, and an old Iban mother contributed the Iban story.
Abdul Karim also announced that the Sarawak government has approved an annual budget allocation of RM10 million to implement the Facilitation Fund for Heritage, Arts, and Culture, to support associations and organisations involved in arts, culture, and heritage by organising activities and programmes.
Also present at the press conference were Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Datuk Snowdan Lawan; MTCP deputy permanent secretary Desmond Jerukan; DBP Sarawak director Abang Haliman Abang Julai; DBP Sarawak deputy director Abdul Rassid Subet; DBP Sarawak assistant director Edith Sullie Bidas; Sarawak Education Department (Students Management Section) assistant director Dennis Nur Amin Abdullah; Council for Native Customs and Traditions Sarawak administrative officer Mereya Kaluk; Sarawak State Library (Pustaka) librarian Izarudin Moss; and Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) assistant librarian Louis Lansam. – DayakDaily
