KUCHING: Local sape master Matthew Ngau Jau will be bringing back the old music during this year’s Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF).
“This year, my performance will be more traditional rather than contemporary,” said the master storyteller during today’s (Aug 5) RWMF press conference at Damai Beach Resort.
“I have to revive old songs from the longhouses. I would like to maintain the traditional tone of sape music.”
On Alena Murang, a woman sape player performing this year, Matthew said, “In the olden days, it was taboo for women to play sape in the longhouse.”
He emphasised, however, that including Alena in this year’s RWMF line-up would encourage the young ones to pick up sape.
“It does not matter if it is a girl or a boy, the younger generation should learn how to play sape,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Band Girls of Sabah will be bringing traditional gongs to the RWMF stage.
“We mainly will be playing music from the Kadazandusun community,” informed their manager Nelson Lawrence, who is also from the Sabah Cultural Board. He also shared that the five-member group was excited to be part of RWMF this year and had been practicing hard every night since June.
“We are hoping to give our best and share our culture to the audience here.”
Torgeir Vassvik who came all the way from Norway was excited to be able to share one of the longest living traditions in Europe this RWMF – the Sami ‘joik’.
“I am a Sami and we are the indigenous people of Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern part of Russia,” Vassvik said, explaining that ‘joik’ was the Sami traditional style of singing and the core of ‘joik’ was done in acapella.
“But I would be playing some string instrument and frame drum along with my singing,” said Vassvik.
Also present during the press conference were representatives from Shanren (China), Dya Singh (Malaysia), Chouk Bwa Libete (Haiti) and Nukariik (Canada).
Today is the first day of the 19th edition of the much-loved music festival which will run until August 7.