KUCHING: The 2019 Budayaw Festival, a celebration of arts and culture involving Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysian Borneo, and the Philippines, will be in town from Nov 19 to 23.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the festival will be the second edition of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area’s (BIMP-EAGA) cultural event.
This’s year festival, themed ‘Beauty in Cultural Diversity’, will feature among others lectures, workshops, performances, shows and exhibits.
“Expect diversity of creative expressions by cultural masters and artists,” he said during a press conference at the Baitulmakmur Building here, yesterday.
The event will be spread across various locations in the city. Among these will be Plaza Merdeka, the Old Courthouse, Samarahan Division Civic Centre, Pullman Kuching and the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
A total of 356 delegates will be coming from the participating countries.
“The festival will be officially closed at BCCK on Nov 23 by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg,” said Abdul Karim, adding that federal Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is also expected to attend the closing ceremony.
He added that a meeting of BIMP-EAGA senior officials and ministers of the participating countries will also be held during the festival.
“This signature BIMP-EAGA event is held every two years and it is hosted by a selected member-state each time.”
He pointed out that the inaugural Budayaw Festival was held two years ago in General Santos City in the Philippines.
Providing some background on BIMP-EAGA, he said, “BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional economic cooperation designed to spur economic development in the lagging sub-economies of member countries.
“The aim of this collaboration is to promote trade, tourism, and investments in the countries involved.
“Another collaborative effort is in the arts and culture, thus the Budayaw Festival,” he remarked.
He said that BIMP-EAGA covers the entire sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; nine provinces in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua in Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao’s 26 provinces as well as the province of Palawan in the Philippines. The minister stated that BIMP-EAGA has a total land area of 1.6 million square kilometres and a combined population of over 60 million people.
Also present were Sarawak Arts Council chief executive officer Sharkawi Amit, vice-consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching Ringgi Perdini, and the consul at the Consulate General of Brunei Darussalam in Kuching Mohammad Kamaluddin.
More information can be found at the official website (www.budayaw.com) and the 2019 Budayaw Festival Facebook page. The public may also contact Nur Hanisah Untong (016-575 2572), Nurul Atikah Reji (014-692 0712), or Mereya Kaluk (017-854 5987) for details on the event.
