By Nia Natasha
KUCHING: The new Borneo Cultures Museum is expected to be officially opened in April next year.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that it was initially planned to be opened in December this year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had to be postponed.
“Presently, the process of moving and arranging the artifacts and content which will be displayed in our new museum is going on smoothly,” he said.
He told reporters this after officiating at a ritual ceremony to move the kelidieng (burial pole) of Kampung Sungai Ud, Dalat from its storage location in Sekama to the Borneo Cultures Museum here on Saturday.
He said that over 1,660 artifacts would be exhibited in the new museum.
The artifacts are related to the ethnicities of Sarawak and as such, visitors to the Borneo Cultures Museum would be able to learn about the history of these artifacts.
According to Abdul Karim, the new museum would be managed differently from before, including engaging experts in the field with regard to having the right temperature for the exhibits.
“This is a new museum and there will be a lot of new things that we are going to introduce. It will be interactive,” he said.
As for entrance fees, he said that this had not yet been determined and was still in discussion.
“There will be different entrance fees for locals and foreigners. To promote our own culture to our people, we must reduce entrance fees to the minimum because we want Sarawak’s various ethnic groups to know about their own culture.
“This is a must-visit site for all visitors to Kuching,” added Abdul Karim.
