KUCHING: The Sarawak Children’s Arts and Literature Festival (SCALF) 2026 attracted nearly 8,000 visitors over two days, reflecting strong interest in activities promoting children’s learning and creativity.
Sarawak State Library (Pustaka Negeri Sarawak) chief executive officer Japri Bujang Masli said the festival featured more than 100 activities across 16 activity spaces.
“Over the two days, nearly 8,000 visitors attended the Sarawak Children’s Arts and Literature Festival 2026, while the 16 activity spaces featured more than 100 activities in total,” he said at the SCALF 2026 opening ceremony at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak here today.
The ceremony was officiated by Sarawak State Library Board chairman Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen.
Japri said the festival’s success was also supported by the participation of 24 agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as collaborative partners.
He said their involvement brought different perspectives, expertise and experience that contributed to the success of the festival.
“A festival of this scale and scope cannot be achieved by Pustaka alone. It is a collective effort involving the community and many collaborative partners,” he said.
Japri also expressed his appreciation to 43 volunteers from UiTM, Swinburne University of Technology, SIDMA, GATS, UniKL, Polymech and SMK Wira Penrissen for helping to ensure the smooth running of the festival.
He said the volunteers not only provided support behind the scenes but also helped create a welcoming and comfortable environment for children and families.
Meanwhile, Japri said one of the highlights of SCALF 2026 was its storytelling activities, which featured 12 local and international storytellers from Malaysia, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, Brunei and India.
He said storytelling played an important role in helping children develop language skills, expand their imagination and understand the world beyond their own experiences.
“Every child deserves a story because stories can make them laugh, wonder, understand feelings, friendship, kindness and courage, as well as inspire them to dream about who they want to become,” he said.
Japri said learning should not be confined to classrooms or textbooks, as children could also learn through play, imagination, creation, questioning, making mistakes and trying repeatedly.
He said this was among the values SCALF sought to promote among children in Sarawak and beyond.
He added that Pustaka Negeri Sarawak viewed libraries as more than places to store books, describing them as spaces to spark ideas, develop imagination and bring communities together.
“Through SCALF, we want Pustaka to be a place where children feel welcomed, inspired and given opportunities to discover something new,” he said.
Japri said the success of SCALF should not be measured solely by the number of activities held, but also by the experiences, memories and inspiration children took home with them.
“SCALF 2026 may have come to an end, but this is not a goodbye as we hope to meet again with more stories, adventures and exciting experiences at SCALF 2027,” he said.
