The Hornbill Calls in Kuala Lumpur

For those who have never been to Borneo, it was an eye-opener to be able to experience such a grand showcase of colourful Bornean ethnic culture and heritage in Kuala Lumpur.

As for us Sarawakians who live and work away from home, it was delightful to be immersed once more in the magical uniqueness of our roots. Namely, by tasting Sarawak’s delectable cuisine, hearing the familiar sound of the Sape, viewing the beautiful ethnic costume parade and dances and sensing the strong spirit of unity that we are noted for.

Thanks to the organiser, the Sarawak/Sabah Heritage Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor, an NGO which is self-funded, we were able to celebrate in May the Borneo Hornbill Festival (BHF) at Angkasapuri’s Dewan Cendekiawan.

This is apparently BHF’s 9th consecutive year, having first launched in 2008 after the formation of Persatuan Warisan Sarawak Kuala Lumpur in late 2007.

Ever since the inaugural festival held at University Malaya, which had received good participation and support, it has persisted as an extravagant annual affair dedicated purely to the promotion of Bornean culture and heritage through its pageants and dance competitions.

On our arrival to the event, we were entertained by musicians playing local tunes and soothing Sape music.

Crafts and foods stalls kept everyone very busy. Naturally, we made a beeline for those selling Sarawak Laksa, which was simply beyond satisfaction.

Chicken in bamboo or ‘Manok Pansuh’, the tapioca leaves known as ‘Pucuk Ubi’ and ‘Sarawak Kolo Mee’ were some of the other delights available. In addition, we helped ourselves to the ‘Penyaram kueh’ which is shaped like a UFO and popular in Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei.

It was understandably a daunting task to hold an event of such scale with the limited budget of the organisation, but nonetheless a spectacular show was pulled off.

This year there were participants from both Sabah and Sarawak for the beauty pageants as well as for the cultural dance and drama competition, which even saw entries from Brunei and Malaya.

Auditions for the pageants had been held earlier at various venues prior to the May semi-finals.

During pre-judging, candidates underwent a screening process which included assessing personal knowledge on culture and heritage, their skills in communication and how connected each was with their respective communities.

The first evening of the event saw the participants competing for the top 20 spots as they paraded in their traditional finery.

Then the following evening was a switch to evening wear and a test of communicative ability in public for the qualifying participants. Finally, eight finalists were announced amid moments of tensions as to who would make it through as all had performed well.

Miss BHF 2017 finalists are Angela Maria Frank (Sarawak), Olivva Kusma (Sabah), Margaret Anak Anthony (Sarawak) and Odleen Catherny (Sarawak).

Mr BHF 2017 finalists are Andy Mc Gowen (Sabah), Ricky Nel Frank (Sarawak), Nigel Marudin (Sabah) and Joshua Josh Iman (Sarawak).

The Borneo Hornbill Festival Beauty Pageant does not just end here in Kuala Lumpur but will continue in its journey to London.

The 8 finalists of Miss and Mr Borneo Hornbill Festival will compete in the Grand Final of Borneo Ethnic Pageant 2017 on 3rd December 2017.

The venue is the Asia House at No. 63 New Cavendish St, Marylebone, London W1G 7LP, UK.

Apart from a sightseeing tour, the finalists would also be making appearances at selected locations to promote the cultural aspects of Borneo.

The dance competition on the final evening of BHF 2017 was astounding with superb choreography from both schoolchildren and adults.

There were 11 teams, each required to present a dance routine followed by a dance drama. Alas, it was the depiction of a Melanau legend that captivated the audience and judges most, with the overall champion being the students of SMK Tatau, Bintulu.