World Music Expo and Rainforest World Music Festival turn Sarawak into an art destination

KUCHING – Hosting the World Music Expo is giving the State of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo an opportunity to be positioned as a destination for arts. “We strongly anchored the Rainforest World Music Festival into the world stage with the coming 17th edition. With the World Music Exhibition in its second year we further strengthen Sarawak as an art destination”, said in its introductory speech Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Minister of Housing and Tourism of the State of Sawarak. The World Music Expo is hosted in conjunction with Sarawak most prestigious anchor event, the Rainforest World Music Festival at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Damai Beach area, near Kuching. 
 

The first edition of the event was inaugurated last time and it was a true success according to Dato Rashid Khan, CEO of the Sarawak Tourism Board. “Last year, the ten groups showcased at the World Music Expo made a great impact with five of them offered then international concert dates or tours. It even helps to promote our own indigenous Sarawak culture with Lan E Tuyang, an ethnic Orang Ulu band touring Germany earlier this year for one month while Madeeh, an ethnic Bidayu ethnic band picked up a European agent and had an international carrier launched”, he told to media.
 

The World Music Expo is a place for professionals of the music world to gather during three days with seminars, conferences and performances. It is designed to expose Asian ethnic musicians to an international audience, including festival and concerts organizers coming from all over the world. This year, 23 organizers made their way to Kuching, including Austria’s Krems Festival, the Ulsan World Music Festival in South Korea, the Song of Soul Festival from Kolkata or the Hong Kong Arts Festival among others. 
 

“Asian ethnic musicians still need to gain more exposure compared to other areas in the world. And Kuching’s World Music Expo could be positioned as the Asian equivalent to London WOMEX, the very well established World Music Expo”, explained Gerald Seligman, consultant and General Director of WOMEX until 2009. The 2014 edition expects to welcome up to 300 delegates. 
 

The World Music Expo helps to strengthen Sarawak as a centre of performing arts in Southeast Asia, an evolution driven by the Sarawak Tourism Board. “Promoting arts helps foster and protect community tourism, promote activities in our State during the low season and give us a strong new identity. With the Rainforest World Festival, the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri and now the ASEAN Film Festival which will hosted every two years, we are firmly anchored into the world of festivals”, added Rashid Khan. Sarawak tourism is in fact prospering. Total number of travellers reached last year 4.1 million, 60% being international visitors. During the first three months of the year, Sarawak saw a further growth of 6% in total arrivals.