By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, Dec 5: Some 3,000 people are expected to converge at Long Bedian in Baram for the ‘Highland Folk Music and Dance Festival 2018’ on Dec 14 and 15.
The festival was first held in 2003 and the forthcoming one is its fourth edition, which will put Long Bedian at centre stage for culture and traditional performances for two days.
“We expect some 3,000 people, both locals and from outside Sarawak, to come and celebrate with us,” said the festival’s advisor Dennis Ngau at a press conference here today.
Dennis, who is also Telang Usan assemblyman, said the festival served as a platform for the local communities, especially the Kenyahs, Kayans and Penans, to showcase their traditional and cultural diversities through their costumes, cuisines, dance and music.
Nearly 10 longhouses in Long Bedian have confirmed their participation, and Baram MP Anyi Ngau has been invited to close the spectacle on Dec 15.
Long Bedian is sandwiched between the Mulu National Park and Loagan Bunut National Park. With better road access now, Dennis believed visitors who come for the festival, which is organised by Telang Usan District Office, would also be able to explore these destinations. — DayakDaily
