KOTA KINABALU: Featuring North Borneo’s railway engine or locally known as ‘injin puput’, this year’s Sabah Fest cultural extravaganza will take its audience through a passage to the heart of Borneo.
Set to be held for two days from May 3 to 4, which had been cut short from three days to give way to the 13th general election, Kompleks JKKN Sabah has once again been chosen as the venue for the musical performance, starting at 8.30pm.
“Injin Puput – Passage to the Heart of Borneo, will bring audience to reminisce the good old days when the North Borneo Railway steam train was still a huge part of Sabah, the only such technology available in this part of the world back then,” said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun, at a press conference yesterday.
Telling the story of Aki Guonun, a Murut warrior in love with Mei Ling, a woman from a cultural background alien to his, audience on board the Injin Puput musical performance are bound for a cultural feast as they follow the story of the lovebirds.
“It’s going to be a unique cultural experience as it ‘moves’ from one district to another, along the North Borneo Railway route. The audience will get the chance to learn some of Sabah’s rich cultural heritage, some of which are even bygone,” said Masidi.
The roles of the hero and heroine of the play, which casted about 400 local performers, are set to be played by local artistes, Janrywine and Brenda Londoh.
Masidi also disclosed that four new songs had also been written and composed for the 100 per cent locally-produced musical performance, with another song hoping to be completed before the date of the event.
During the two-day event, exhibitions and demonstrations of traditional food and handicrafts will be held outside the auditorium from 10am to 10pm.
To date, 60 per cent of the tickets for both days had been sold.
Tickets sell at RM50 per show. For more information, please contact Sri Pelancongan Sabah at 088-232121 or Sabah Tourism Board at 088-212121, e-mail [email protected] or visit the event website: www.sabahfest.com.
Also present at the press conference yesterday were chairman of Sabah Tourism Board, Datuk Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin Tengku Mahamood, and general manager of Sri Pelancongan Sabah, Sitti Bahaya Damsal.