MIRI: The Sarawak Kenyah Culture Festival 2025 closed on Saturday night with a strong signal of federal backing for indigenous culture, after the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry confirmed grant support for the four-day event and hailed its potential to be elevated into Malaysia’s official tourism calendar.
Speaking on behalf of Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, his representative Datuk Anyi Ngau said the ministry had approved funding under the Cultural Sector Support Grant to ensure the festival’s sustainability and wider economic impact.
The support, he said, reflected the government’s view that culture was no longer a peripheral heritage issue but a strategic tourism asset capable of driving unity, community income and local entrepreneurship.
“The Kenyah Culture Festival proves that cultural heritage, when actively practised and shared, can generate tangible value for communities while strengthening national identity,” he said at the closing ceremony at the FORUM Cultural Centre here.
The festival this year made national headlines after entering the Malaysia Book of Records for the longest non-stop traditional ‘Saga’ performance, staged continuously for 24 hours. Organisers said the achievement underscored growing youth participation in traditional performance arts that were once at risk of fading.
Anyi highlighted traditional musical instruments such as the sape’ and jatung lutang as examples of how indigenous culture could transcend local boundaries. Interest in the sape’, he noted, was rising not only among Sarawakians but also in Peninsular Malaysia, spanning both children and adults.
“With sustained youth involvement, other instruments like the jatung lutang have the same international potential. Culture survives only when it is lived, performed and passed on, not when it is archived,” he said.
The ministry, he added, would continue to channel grants and strategic assistance to cultural initiatives that create jobs, stimulate the creative industry and strengthen community-based tourism, while stressing that all public funds must be used with integrity and deliver long-term impact.
Looking ahead, the ministry sees strong prospects for the Kenyah Culture Festival and similar grassroots events to be listed under the Sarawak Tourism Calendar and eventually the national Tourism Calendar, positioning them as attractions for both domestic and international visitors.
“This mission requires unity of purpose and collective ownership, with cultural diversity recognised as a national strength,” he said.
The festival also drew broad political and community support, with total financial contributions amounting to RM170,000. Contributors included Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong (RM40,000), Datuk Snowdan Lawan (RM20,000), Datuk Anyi Ngau who contributed RM30,000 prior to the event, Tiong (RM30,000), Kennedy Chukpai Ugon (RM30,000), Datuk Gerawat Gala (RM10,000) and Datuk Dennis Ngau (RM10,000).
Anyi said the collective effort demonstrated how development in Sarawak could be achieved through close-knit community cooperation, with young people playing a central role as future leaders shaped by cultural values they witness today.
On behalf of Tiong, he officially declared the conclusion of the Sarawak Kenyah Culture Festival 2025, calling on all stakeholders to ensure Sarawak’s cultural heritage continues to thrive and be passed on to the next generation in line with national development aspirations.
