By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, May 26: Sarawak hopes to rope in some of the best performing bands from Java Jazz Festival to perform at its Borneo Jazz Festival (BJF) and Kuching Jazz Festival (KJF) events this year.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah noted that the Java Jazz Festival which is the largest jazz festival in Southeast Asia will take place in Jakarta from June 2 to 4.
“I’m going down to the Java Jazz Festival next weekend just to explore how they organise things down there.
“Probably, if we are able to tie some kind of understanding with some of the good bands performing at Java Jazz, we hope to be able to bring some of them for BJF as well as KJF,” he said during an appreciation dinner hosted by The Generations in conjunction with the success of ‘Creatively Unique Sarawak 2023’ event held at Urban Residences here earlier tonight.
Abdul Karim who is also Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, further said that this year’s BJF would be organised by Miri City Council (MCC), taking over from Sarawak Tourism Board (STB).
“I think it’s high time for us to outsource it (BJF) to those Mirians and we nurture them.
“That’s why just to get to know all these, they (MCC) are also going to Jakarta to (look into) how to organise, how a Jazz festival is, and hopefully we will have many more interesting musical events in Sarawak apart from Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF),” he added.
Abdul Karim also mentioned that the MTCP has managed to secure one business event — an international choir competition — which is scheduled to be held in 2025, and bring in about 2,000 to 3,000 number of tourist arrivals.
Also present at the event were Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (Tourism) Datuk Sebastian Ting; MTCP’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Division assistant secretary Barry Lian Ingan; The Generations advisor Aaron Kon; president Jordan Chang; and secretary Haiman Karim Rahman. — DayakDaily
