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Sarawak’s Great Success At WOMEX

Sarawak’s Great Success At WOMEX

Kuching, Tuesday – Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and their representatives attended this year’s World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Poland with great success on October 25 to 29 to promote Sarawak’s trademark event, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF).

Attending this 23rd edition of WOMEX were STB Director of Events Angelina Bateman, Event Manager Sarren Michael and the RWMF Artistic Director Jun Lin Yeoh, promoting the RWMF among the international crowd.

“Sarawak’s unique culture and music truly shone during WOMEX, supporting the fact that there is no better destination for an event celebrating the uniqueness of world music from many different lands than Sarawak and the Rainforest World Music Festival,” said Angelina.

Also attending the Expo local musician and artist Alena Murang and musician Eldrick Udos or ‘Bob’ from the band At Adau, both of whom have performed at the RWMF and are impassioned supporters of maintaining and passing on the Bornean cultural heritage.

They participated in WOMEX with the objective of promoting Sarawak’s cultural music as well as their own brand, while networking with the attending key players in the World Music industry.

“This is a big step that has been given to us from At Adau and mainly Sarawak to build the bridge across the world to help achieve our objective of enlightening the world about the beauty and uniqueness of Sarawakian music, arts and culture,” Bob expressed after participating in the Expo.

Bob also expressed excitement over his opportunity to discuss strategies and future prospects with some big names in world music such as Derek Andrews, Artistic Director of Mundial Montreal and Indigenous Music, Canada,  Kaushik Dutta, CEO/Artistic Director of Song of Soul Festival in Kolkata, India and Mr Alejandro Orellana, Programmer and Coordinator of WOMAD The World’s Festival, Chile.

During this Expo, Angelina Bateman alongside Alena and Bob were interviewed by Drago Vovk of Radio Sraka, one of the most popular radio station broadcasting from Novo Mesto, Slovenia.

The 21st edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival will take place next year on July 13 to 15, at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Womex 2017

From the right, Angelina Bateman, Bob, Alena Murang and Drago of Radio Sraka during the interview at the booth.

Issued by:

Communications Unit
SARAWAK TOURISM BOARD
T: +6 082-423600  F: +6 082-416700
E: [email protected]

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA FESTIVAL 2012 A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

Melaka Art and Performance Festival 2012 a resounding success

Appiah Annan from Ghana performing Sankofa / Photo from melakafestival.com

Sep 28, 2012

MELAKA, Malaysia – The largest and only site specific art and performance festival on a UNESCO World Heritage site ended on a high note today as artists and performers celebrated a successful three-day festival. From September 21-23, Melaka was filled with art installations and performances by more than 50 renowned local and international artists.

Artists from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, France, Ghana, South Korea, Ireland, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Morocco, Canada, Poland, and the USA performed in the streets along St. Paul’s Hill where the asphalt became their canvas.

Running for the fourth year, the Melaka Arts and Performance Festival (MAPFest) is an innovative contemporary festival featuring dance, performance art, visual art, film, and music. The closing of the festival culminated in the gathering of all MAPFest artists and performers as they performed “Eulogy for The Living,” a large-scale performance, which provided a spectacular and soulful finale to the festival. The play was directed by the Founding Creative Director, Tony Yap, accompanied by live music and projections by Khaled Sabsabi.

“We were overwhelmed by the response throughout the festival. These three days has truly shown that Melaka has the potential to be an international hub for arts and performances. We are definitely looking forward for a bigger and better festival next year,” said Andrew Ching, Founder and Producer of the Festival.

As a supporter of the festival, the Malaysia Convention Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) shares the same vision. Zulkefli Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of MyCEB, said, “Our collaboration with MAPFest this year is a successful one as it proves that Malaysia can be a center stage for global events. Melaka, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, was the ideal venue to host such an inspiring showcase of the arts.”

The event attracted over 20,000 attendees, including an estimated 4,000 overseas visitors. Festival goers participated in a dance workshop by Australia’s leading Afrocontemporary dance practitioner, Appiah Annan of Asanti Dance Theatre, as he introduced traditional and contemporary approaches to dance from his motherland, Ghana.

Many people also took part in a forum discussion themed, “Melaka intersections: Living space/museum town” by Associate Professor Cheryl Stock, Director of Postgraduate Studies Creative Industries Faculty of the Queensland University of Technology.

MAPFest 2012 was directed by Tony Yap, in his capacity as the Founding Creative Director. He was one of the principle performers with IRAA Theatre (1989-1996) and has worked extensively in Australia and overseas including the Agamemnon Festival Colline Torinese, Italy, and The Trojan Woman, Vienna International Art Festival. As the founding Artistic Director of Mixed Company (now The Tony Yap Company) in 1993, he has made a commitment to the exploration and creation of an individual dance theatre language that is informed by psycho-physical research, Asian shamanistic trance dance, butoh, voice, and visual design.

MAPFest 2012 is produced by Arts Performance Festival Melaka Sdn Bhd and is supported by Tourism Malaysia, the Melaka State government, together with the efforts of E-Plus Entertainment, Mercatus Plus Malaysia, Badan Warisan Malaysia, Kingdom of the Netherlands, the French and The Netherlands Embassies, the Australian government, the Australian High Commission, Australia Malaysia Institute, Multicultural Arts Victoria, the Embassy of France, The Tony Yap Company, Nyoba Kan, Simone Lourey, and William Randall.

Source: melakafestival.com

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA FEST STARTS TOMORROW

Email    Print 20 September 2012 | last updated at 10:34PM

Taking arts to Malacca streets

THE largest and only site specific art and performance festival on a Unesco heritage site returns to Malacca for the fourth time from tomorrow to Sunday.

The Mapfest 2012 team

The Melaka Art And Performance Festival or Mapfest 2012, held daily at 10am, has performances by more than 50 local and international artistes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, France, Ghana, South Korea, Ireland, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Morocco, Canada, Poland and the United States.
They will perform on the streets along St Paul’s Hill and the asphalt will become their canvas.

Mapfest 2012 draws from Malacca’s famous heritage sites to create a space for contemporary culture and artistic practice. It will have components such as Cerita Pendek (Short Stories) 1 and 2, visual arts, discussions and workshops.
Cerita Pendek brings together dance, music and performances from all participating artistes in short works over two nights at St Paul’s Church.

On Sunday night, they will all perform Eulogy For The Living, a spectacular finale directed by Tony Yap and accompanied by live music, and projections by Khaled Sabsabi.
Producer Andrew Ching says: “The festival provides an avenue for up-coming performers to showcase their talents and collaborate with international artistes.”

Festival supporter the Malaysia Convention And Exhibition Bureau chief executive officer Zulkefli Sharif says that as a heritage site, Malacca has always been a popular tourist attraction and the festival enhances its offerings.

 
The event is set to attract more than 4,000 international attendees who can join a dance workshop by Australia’s leading dancer Appiah Annan of Asanti Dance Theatre who will introduce traditional and contemporary approaches to dance from his motherland, Ghana.

Mapfest 2012 is produced by Arts And Performance Festival Melaka and is supported by the Tourism Ministry, E-Plus Entertainment, Mercatus Plus, Badan Warisan Malaysia and the governments of the Netherlands, Australia and France among others.

Admission is free.

Details at www.melakafestival.com.
 

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Tourism Malaysia

European Union Film Festival 2011

November 16, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Lovers of European films, do take note as the European Union Film Festival is just around the corner. Organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, this event is now in its 12th year and is an annual event aimed as showcasing a collection of films which draw on the rich and diverse talents of European film makers. These movies not only display the cultural heritage of European films, they also promote the cultural heritage of Europe’s outstanding film industry.

Some of the films that are scheduled to play include classics like Oliver Twist

The festival is currently going on at several cinemas in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya until the 20th November before moving on to Penang from 24th till 30th November 2011. This year, the festival will feature over 15 of the best international European films from countries like Poland, Denmark, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium and Italy. Some of the films that are scheduled to play include classics like Oliver Twist and Great Expectations; comedies like If I Have To Be Honest and Tandoori Love. The participating cinemas in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya are GSC Mid Valley Megamall, GSC 1 Utama and GSC Pavilion, whereas GSC Gurney Plaza will be the cinema to go to if you would like to catch the movies.

Tickets are priced at RM 5 each except for ‘Cell 211?, which is free. Tickets for ‘Cell 211? can only be redeemed on the same day of screening. All movies will be screened in their original language with English subtitles. For the full schedule of movie listing, please log on here or refer to all GSC cinema listings in major newspapers.

Photo (c) El Bibliomata

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Tourism Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Tower International Jump Malaysia 2011

October 21, 2011 at 12:00 pm

BASE (Building, Antenna, Span, Earth) jumpers all around the world were given another opportunity recently to come together and do the one thing that they love most – jumping off dizzying heights with only a parachute to delay their fall as gravity takes over. This prestigious event organised by the Kuala Lumpur Tower took place from the 28th September till 2nd October 2011.

All jumpers posing for a group photo during the opening ceremony on 28th September 2011

This time, the tower became the ‘leaping point’ as 93 jumpers from all over the world including Malaysia participated in this exciting event. Considering the high risk involved in this extreme sport, it is not uncommon for many to assume that women are not into extreme sports. It was therefore surprising to hear that out of the 93 people who participated, five were women jumpers. The participants who joined this event came from countries like Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, United States, India, Malaysia, Canada, Japan, Oslo, Chile, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France and Poland. The five women participants were from India, the United States, Hungary, Germany and South Africa. The event was also made open to members of the public who were keen to come and watch the jumpers in action. Tickets were sold at a premier rate of RM 100.00 to RM 150.00 for day jumps and RM 150.00 to RM 200.00 for Night Jumps, which took place on 30th September and 1st October 2011.

One of the jumpers on his way to the landing area

It is amazing to see these jumpers leaping off the platform at the heights of 300 metres!

Some jumpers practise the way to leap off the building before actually jumping off with their friends

The closing ceremony for the Kuala Lumpur Tower International Jump Malaysia 2011, which took place on 2nd October 2011, coincided with the tower’s 15th years anniversary, hence it was a double celebration for both the jumpers and the tower’s management. The tower was officially launched by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on 1st October 1996, who was the current Prime Minister of Malaysia at that time. The event was held at the Megaview Banquet Hall at Menara Kuala Lumpur. It was attended by YB Datuk M. Saravanan, Deputy Minister Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, Yg Bhg Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Muhammad Radzi Mansor, Chairman of Menara Kuala Lumpur and Pn. Zuraidah Mohd Said, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Menara Kuala Lumpur.

YB Datuk M. Saravanan, Deputy Minister Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing presenting a Certificate of Participation to Mr Gary Cunningham

The closing event also proved to be a memorable day for 21 youths who shared the same birthday as Menara Kuala Lumpur. Their presence made the ceremony even more merrier as these youths joined in during the cake-cutting ceremony. A gift was also presented to all the birthday boys and girls, much to their delight. It definitely was a memorable birthday for them. After the cultural performances, the jumpers were all invited to the stage to receive their certificates from Kuala Lumpur Tower. Pn. Zuraidah also announced the dates for next year’s Kuala Lumpur Tower International Jump Malaysia, which will be taking place from the 26th till 30th September 2012. This is truly a great opportunity for most jumpers to break their own records as next year they will have five whole days to jump to their hearts’ delight!

The cake cutting ceremony to celebrate Menara Kuala Lumpur’s anniversary together with the birthday of Menara Kuala Lumpur Youths

There were also five special prizes prepared by Menara Kuala Lumpur together with one of its main sponsors, World of Watches II for five of the jumpers. The winners each received a watch from World of Watches II worth RM5, 000 each. The categories were:-

The Overall Jump
Most Jumps of the Day
Most Creative Jump
WWII Jumper (International Ambassador), and
WWII Jumper (Local Ambassador).

The winners were:

The Overall Jump – Jean-Phillipe Teffaud
Most Jumps for the Day – Adam Gardner
Most Creative Jump – Rob Heron from Canada
WWII Jumper (International Ambassador) – Brandon J Chance AND
WWII Jumper (Local Ambassador) – Hizam Sahibudeen

Winner of Most Creative Jumper, Mr Rob Heron from Canada

Winner of Most Jumps of the Day Category, Mr Adam Gardner

Winner of Overall Jumps Category, Mr Jean-Phillipe Teffaud

Winner of WWII Jumper Local Ambassador, Mr Hizam Sahibudeen

Winner of WWII Jumper International Ambassador, Mr Brandon J Chance

As the closing ceremony came to an end, many of the jumpers took the opportunity to mingle around with each other. Some even joined in the cultural dancers’ performance. All in all, the KL Tower International Jump Malaysia 2011 had a good start and ended with a great bang.

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