‘Turn Sifma into a yearly or biennial affair’

June 30, 2019

Abdul Karim, seen here with Snowdan arrives at the concert.

KUCHING: The inaugural ‘Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts’ (Sifma) should be made a yearly or biennial affair, says Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“The way I see it, we should not let this festival to be a one-off festival. I would love to see it held as a yearly or biennially event.

“With proper organisation and talented musicians in Sarawak, we could make this festival into another music event like the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), especially when we will have a performing arts centre ready in the next two years,” he said at the opening ceremony of the ‘Sifma Gala Concert’ in the old DUN Complex here on Friday night.

On a related development, the minister said the old DUN Complex would be closed for renovation after the two-night Sifma.

Members of Kuala Lumpur Children’s Choir perform on stage, led by conductor Charmaine Gan. — Photos by Roystein Emmor

“Upon completion, it (old DUN Complex) will become a state-of-the-art performing arts centre, which Sarawakians will be very proud of, and where we can showcase our talents.

“Before closing this building for renovation, we sat down to find a good closing event for this historical building, which had served us well as our state legislative assembly (venue).

“That is how we came up with the idea of having a music showcase of our ethnicities and cultures, and inviting musicians from other parts of the world to perform,” he said.

Earlier, Sifma chairperson Dr Geraldine Law-Lee thanked the ministry and the relevant agencies for their help and support in making the event a success, adding that it was more than just a concert but also a meeting point for musicians, dancers and performing artists.

The festival is run by IMH Group of Companies and The Dance Academy Kuching. It features music, dance, and choir groups from Australia, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, as well as Sarawak’s own talents.

Abdul Karim’s wife Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan and his wife Datin Melinda Claudia Bucking, and permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Hii Chang Kee were among those present. -TheBorneoPost