KUCHING: Sarawak will mark the second anniversary of Niah Cave’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 27, with a documentary premiere held today as one of several ways the state is commemorating the milestone.
‘The Human Odyssey’ was screened today at the Borneo Cultures Museum’s auditorium here, in an event organised by Sarawak Media Group’s TVS, in partnership with the Sarawak Museum Department.
Speaking at the event, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, whose speech was read by Datuk Dr Rashidah Bolhassan, said Niah’s significance did not need embellishment.
“Niah’s importance does not need exaggeration. It simply needs the evidence laid out plainly, and the scholars who have spent careers uncovering it given the space to speak,” he said.
Abdul Karim noted that Sarawak’s true founding moment, in the truest sense, predates any treaty or declaration by tens of thousands of years, and lies in the cave outside Miri.
He said the recognition accorded to Niah in 2024 formally acknowledged what Sarawakians had long sensed instinctively about the land’s significance to the human story.
He also referenced a fire incident at Niah National Park several weeks ago, describing it as a reminder that heritage, however ancient, was not indestructible.
Abdul Karim said the incident had instead sharpened the state’s resolve to protect its heritage, noting Sarawak remained the only state in Malaysia with two UNESCO World Heritage Site recognitions, following Gunung Mulu’s inscription in 2000 and the more recent recognition of the Sarawak Delta Geopark.
“Heritage that is not understood is heritage that is eventually lost. A young Sarawakian who has never been told what Niah Cave represents cannot be expected to protect it, let alone take pride in it,” he added.
Abdul Karim commended TVS for using its platform to close that gap, and thanked the Sarawak Museum Department for its partnership in the production.
