By Ma Chee Seng & Neville Timothy Sanders
KUCHING: All preparations are set for the most awaited Rainforest World Music Festival Silver Anniversary this weekend (RWMF) at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV).
According to a press release, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Kari Rahman Hamzah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sarawak Tourism Board Sharzede Datuk Salleh Askor and RWMF Event Organiser, Place Borneo were at SCVyesterday to inspect on the ground and technical preparations for the festival.
When asked by reporters from New Sarawak Tribune regarding the safety protocols that would be implemented, Abdul Karim said that the respective authorities would be patrolling the area to ensure the safety of all visitors.
“If any problem occurs during the event, we hope that the visitors will inform the authorities in charge to handle the situation.
“My only advice for those who are coming, if you’re concerned about COVID-19, wearing a mask is always an option for everyone but we do not force them to wear one during a concert,” he added.
He encouraged festival goers to take the shuttle bus services provided.
“The shuttle buses will be available at three pick-up points in downtown Kuching, namely, The Hills Shopping Mall, Riverside Majestic Hotel Astana Wing and Plaza Merdeka.
“The bus shuttle service from Kuching to Damai Central car park at SCV will run from 9 am to 8 pm, and for those returning to the city from SCV, the trip will run from 9.30am to 12.30 am the next day,” he said.
Sharzede said during the press conference that RWMF this year would dive deeper into Sarawak Tourism Board’s Responsible Tourism agenda by introducing its new green initiative called the ecoGreenPlanet programme.
“The concept allows online festival attendees to help save the environment by directing the revenues from their ticket purchases to a tree-planting operation that will take place after the event.
“In collaborations with Canard Media Sdn Bhd, water stations will be installed throughout SCV to discourage the purchase of single-use water bottles.
“Food waste will be converted into bio-protein for fertiliser and animal feed for local farmers by WormingUp, a Kuching-based social enterprise, throughout the festival,” she explained.
Another project, called Matter out of Place (Moop), will see patrols working with festival-goers to clean up the festival grounds at the end of each day’s events, according to her.
For detailed information on the shuttle bus service to RWMF, the public may visit RWMF’s official website at rwmf.net or check out STB’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for updates.
