MIRI: More than 30 native ethnic groups in Sarawak have been advised to record down their cultural heritage and unique traditional practices so that they do not end up losing these priceless assets while in their pursuit of development and progress.
These assets are irreplaceable and cannot be compensated by material advancements, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam.
‘’No amount of material progress can ever replace the unique lifestyles, cultural identities and traditions that we have,” he said when launching the Sarawak 2009 Gong Festival at the Miri Oil Musuem here recently.
Preserve culture: dr chan (right) exchanging souvenirs with Manyin during the launch of the Sarawak Gong Festival 2009. ‘’The natives in Sarawak have shown to the world that they are indeed special. Their way of life and traditional practices cannot be found anywhere else.
‘’Don’t lose these treasures. Keep them alive. What is the point of gaining development in the material sense and yet lose the cultural assets that we have inherited from our forefathers,” he added.
Dr Chan said each ethnic group in Sarawak have their own songs, musical instruments, gongs, dances, traditional attires, language and dialects and traditional practices that no other has.
These must be preserved in their entirety, he said, stressing that those organisations in the community responsible for promoting these arts must find ways to record them in audio and visual forms and then ensure the youths learn and continuously practice them.
State Tourism Minister Datuk Michael Manyin said his ministry would organise the gong festival on an annual basis and turn it into another major tourism attraction.
‘’So far, we have successfully promoted the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching and the Miri International Jazz Festival and turn them into big tourism events.
‘’I think the gong festival can have similar appeal for tourists.
“In Sarawak, the gongs are used for different reasons and every ethnic groups have different types of gongs that can produce different sounds and beats,” he said.
