By Christine T
KUCHING, Nov 2: Indigenous arts, customs, and cultural heritage traditionally preserved within longhouses and local communities will be brought into the city when Borneo Indigenous Festival 2026 takes place from Nov 12 to 15 at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre (HEEC) here.
Organised by the Sarawak Arts Council (MSS), the four-day festival will run daily from 9am to 10.30pm, featuring performances, cultural exhibitions, traditional crafts, food, and knowledge-sharing sessions aimed at showcasing Borneo’s diverse ethnic heritage to local and international visitors.
Caretaker Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the initiative was aimed at ensuring the arts, customs, and heritage of Sarawak’s 34 ethnic groups continued to flourish by bringing them beyond their traditional settings and into urban spaces where more people could experience and appreciate them.
“Not everyone has the opportunity to visit a longhouse. From time to time, we have to bring these cultural traditions into the city, whether in the State capital or other major towns, so they can be promoted to foreigners and visitors from outside Sarawak,” he said during a press conference on the festival at Mulu Room, Baitulmakmur II Building today.
Abdul Karim said the initiative was also intended to ensure that the creative industries, customs, cultures, and heritage of Sarawak’s ethnic communities would not disappear with time but continue to flourish through greater exposure and support.
He stressed that Sarawak’s creative industry must reflect the diversity of its 34 ethnic groups, rather than focusing only on selected communities.
“We do not want to see the creative arts industry representing only the Malay community, the Iban community or the Orang Ulu community. We want every ethnic community, including the Chinese community, to feel that Sarawak belongs to them,” he said.
The festival will feature seven main components, namely the Knowledge Conference, Echoes of Borneo, the 36th Sarawak Malay Traditional Dance and Song Festival, Ngelakar Seni Premium, Ruai Sarawak, Mini Show, and Market Seni.
Among the highlights is Ruai Sarawak, which will bring together 12 ethnic associations to promote their respective identities, customs and heritage through traditional crafts, food, and performances.
This year’s cultural showcase will focus on the Iban community, featuring traditional attire from five geographical areas, namely Batang Ai, Batang Rajang, Iban Kepuas, Iban Seribas, and Iban Sebuyau.
The festival will also feature 30 booths under Market Seni, providing opportunities for artisans, entrepreneurs, and creative industry practitioners to promote and sell traditional food, handicrafts, paintings, artworks, and other cultural products.
Abdul Karim said the creative industry had considerable potential to generate income, create employment, and support Sarawak’s tourism sector.
He hoped the festival would not only help preserve cultural heritage but also enable communities to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and expand their market reach.
Organisers are targeting up to 5,000 visitors for the festival.
Abdul Karim said the event could also serve as a stepping stone towards developing a larger annual Borneo-wide festival involving Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, and Indonesia Kalimantan. — DayakDaily
