KUCHING: The third edition of What About Kuching (WAK) was launched yesterday, together with the sixth Borneo International Beads Conference (Bibco), as Kuching welcomes October with exciting events.
WAK, which started on Sept 28, is jam-packed with a programme comprising 56 collaborating groups, 99 different events and over 315 daily events over 30 days.
WAK’s open access model has drawn a variety of genres and a wider overall repertoire even as it builds greater momentum for the coming years in its aim of becoming the top regional platform for arts, culture and lifestyle, similar to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah noted the growth of the festival since its humble beginnings in 2017.
“Driven ‘By The Community, For The Community,’ WAK is a true partnership between the public and private sectors, exemplifying our cohesiveness as Sarawakians and patriots of Sarawak.
“At this rate of growth, the WAK movement will place Kuching as the destination of choice for festivalgoers each October.
“This will be a great boon to our tourism industry and become the ideal big platform for our creative communities to shine,” he said this at the Old Court House Auditorium here yesterday.
Abdul Karim further stated that WAK is also strategising to expand its reach to regional cities with the hope of attracting creative communities to come and join forces with local talents to elevate current standards and foster greater networking.
On Bibco, he mentioned that it has gained its place as among the top beads conference in the world since its inception back in 2010.
“Now in its sixth edition, this year’s event has once again brought together some of the most prominent and esteemed personalities in the world of beads from around the world to come over to Sarawak in sharing, to discuss together and to learn the fascinating culture, meaning, history, beauty and the technical intricacies of the beads world.
“In economic terms, the beads industry is a money-making
enterprise simply because in the olden days, beads were actually used as a form of currency. Even today, collectors are willing to pay high prices for rare antique beads which are also found in Sarawak.
“But it is not only the old and ancient beads that fetch high prices; high value baubles like the beautifully created Murano Glass Beads are much sought-after the world over.
“It is this potential to develop a lucrative artisanal beads industry that the state government has been a strong supporter of Bibco all these years.
“Refining bead making, bead working and beading skills as well as the combining of traditional skills with beads, result in very sought-after handicrafts with global appeal,” he said.
Abdul Karim also stated that currently, there are approximately 1,500 people in Sarawak who are occasionally producing handicrafts for sale, including a significant percentage of bead crafters.
“Most of these craft persons are only able to supplement their agrarian profession with their creations and only a handful is actively deriving a decent income from this pursuit professionally,” he commented, adding that he would endeavour to his best ability to create greater opportunities for the artisans to be successful.
