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After the rousing 10th anniversary celebration last year, Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is now ready to enter into a new decade with a promise of a better festival and more added-value experience for the audience.
This year’s RWMF will be held from July 11 to 13 at the foot of Mount Santubong within the Sarawak Cultural Village, a 45-minute drive from the State’s capital, Kuching.
A total of 16 groups, including local bands, will perform at this year’s festival. And, as in previous years they will be from all over the world. The full list of the bands will be announce in the next few weeks and at the moment, STB is in the process of finalizing the band selection. It was a tough act for STB as it had received more than 450 applications from bands that are keen to perform at RMWF.
For fresh idea to the festival, numerous fringe events have been included to add more air of festivity to the festival which has been enjoying steady growth in popularity. The three confirmed ones are Rainforest World Craft Bazaar 2008 (RWCB), Folk Art Forum (FAF) and the Global Village.
The RWCB is organized by the Sarawak Craft Council in collaboration with STB. The bazaar is scheduled to be held from July 9 to 15 and expected to be participated by master craftsmen from various countries including from Sarawak, showcasing their unique crafts wares. Craft making workshop will also be held at the RWCB, besides the exhibition and sales of the crafts.
The art forum is more on showcasing works of renowned local and international artists. Organised by Galleria, the theme for the art forum is Our Culture, Our People.
To be held from July 9 to 11 at the Orang Ulu House at the Sarawak Cultural Village, the art forum is target the audience of students and art enthusiasts. The FAF itineraries include workshop, exhibition and forum.
The Global Village which will be held simultaneously with RWMF, is showcasing the culture, tradition and crafts of indigenous groups from various countries.
Meanwhile, more than 22,000 guests from all corners of the world came for the anniversary celebration last year. The guests were entertained by 19 bands and performers that had graced the RWMF stage over the last ten years.
Last year’s festival also saw the presence of about 250 media representatives providing coverage for both the print and electronic media.
The smooth running of the anniversary celebration was also supported by a strong team of 150 volunteers. The dedicated volunteers, some of whom had volunteered for many years, helped tirelessly in various areas.
Organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, the festival is one of Malaysia’s best tourism icon and has been listed under the events to be promoted by Tourism Malaysia worldwide.
The festival is also supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism, Sarawak.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
