KUCHING, April 28: Sarawak Energy and Tun Jugah Foundation (TJF) collaborate to upskill local Baleh artisan.
Sarawak Energy’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Services Siti Aishah Adenan said Sarawak Energy is keen to work with communities in their area of operations on sustainable livelihood programmes that also showcase Sarawak culture to a larger audience.
“Through this partnership with TJF, we hope to improve and grow a community of local artisans by enhancing their skills and the product marketability of their craft while promoting interest in heritage arts and crafts amongst the area’s younger people,” she said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, TJF managing trustee Melia Linggi said the program is one of their first out of three initiatives under the partnership with Sarawak Energy in a collective effort to preserve and promote indigenous Iban culture and heritage for the Baleh community.
“We hope this will continue to inspire the artisan community to continue creating original designs and producing beadwork that also have market potential beyond the immediate Kapit area,” she added.
During the two-days training program, 17 young artisans from the Iban community of Baleh and Kapit will share innovative ideas and design concepts while diversifying and enhancing the marketability of their beadwork products.
The event aims to preserve and sustain the community’s indigenous arts, crafts, cultural practices and traditions while enhancing capacity building for the community through production of marketable handicrafts.
The artisans learn to make contemporary ‘tangu’ beaded collar as well as the ‘kungkung igi peria’ necklace which are important symbols of cultural identity for women of the Iban community and are normally worn as part of traditional attire, using using modern materials. – DayakDaily.
