The weather was hot and humid, with mild wind blowing every now and then, but the crowd was building steadily. Set in the backdrop of the rainforest, two stages were set up - aptly called the Jungle stage and the smaller Tree stage. This has been the way it was - like tradition - since years of its organization. That was the Rainforest World Music Festival. The afternoon adventure I had earlier culminates to the evening concerts where the performers can truly play their tunes.
Some of the performers
As the evening cools down with the absence of the sun, I heard the warrior's call native to the Land of the Hornbills bellows out accompanied by the iconic tunes of the sape'. Drawn the the callings, the crowd steadily made way to the stages to see up-close the warrior and a closer experience to one of the most popular sounds of Sarawak. The opening act from the Bisayah Gong orchestra was just as mesmerizing. Their music was part of their way of life since their ancestral times, commonly played to celebrate a good harvest, to heal the wounded and sick and as part of their war ritual as both battle cry as well as to warn their villagers of dangers. It is also common for the modern Bisayah families to keep at least a piece of Gong at home, if not a full set of them.
The Bisayah Gong Orchestra
The Kalakan Trio
From the familiar tunes of my own homeland, I was whisked to the Tree stage to the autonomous community of Basque Country - a group of trio that calls themselves Kalakan. Armed with harmonic repertoires of Basque traditional songs (it sounds a little like Spanish) along with simple percussions, the trios bet on simplicity, elegance and a communication with their crowd generating and carrying emotions. Truly, listening to them in Spotify cannot compare with listening to them playing live! I really cannot tell if I'm ever going to have a change to hear them play live again, I completely immersed myself in their music. Son Yambu follows Kalakan, and my my as if the rainforest air was not hot and humid enough!! Fuuuhhh!! A Latin Salsa tune can turn the temperature from hot to oohhhhh mama that caused a whole lot of booty jiggling! Lucky me I packed a fan! As I've warned before, surviving the Rainforest World Music Festival requires a careful and meticulous preparation less it will ruin your experience. Did you follow my guide here? Let me know in the comments! It was always said to save the best of last, and no other words can describe the last performance of the first evening show. From the Basque country's traditional tunes to Cuban Latin Salsa, to Europe right in the heart of London! But no, this group is truly something else. The group that was most anticipated by my fellow blogger Lindy (read Lindy's blog here) and Garner (read Garner's blog here), the group that was (probably) inspired by Captn' Jack Sparrow himself, the Blackbeard's Tea Party (yeah I can tell the group's performance gonna be epic!)
The Blackbeard's Tea Party
There were percussion, guitar, violin, accordion, awesome voice (and melt-in-my-ear English accent) and a whole lotta dancing with these guys. Genuinely joyful, a little bit of cheeky and all around fun as they played songs after song and sing lyrics after lyrics playing the crowd all along. Although in all honestly their music is not my cup of tea, but considering it is a Balckbeard's Tea Party all along, what fool who did not enjoy it deserves a walk down the plank! In the mean time, do enjoy the gallery below. It will be updated from time to time as there are tons of pictures to upload and credit so do return back for another visit! Ciao!
PS: I cannot say for certain where Blackbeard's Tea Party got their inspiration from. The connection between the group and Captn' Jack Sparrow or the whole Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is purely to the fictional imagination of the author. However, if you'd like to agree or to disagree, let me know in the comments.
Hoooooyyeeaaahhhh!! 5 more days for that time of the year again where flocks of different folks come together for one of the most anticipated event of the year - the RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014. This is it's 17th year, voted for the 5th consecutive year as one of the 25 best International Festivals by renowned world music magazine, Songlines.
With management experience and worldwide recognition, you can rest assure that the event is as safe as any festival event as can be. Teams of staffs and volunteers alike line up to ensure the event flows according to plan with contingency and action plans accounted for any unplanned events.
That being said, you, as festival goer, should not neglect your own safety nor the safety of other festival goers. Remember, have fun responsibly!
The Venue If you've been to the festival in the previous years or are already familiar with the Sarawak Cultural Village grounds, the same general rules still apply since past years. If this is your first time, here's an aerial view of the Sarawak Cultural Village (courtesy of Sarawak CUltural VIllage and rwmf.net)
The Programme It's worth noting that some visitors to the Rainforest World Music Festival come for the highlight of the whole festival - the evening performance from participating bands from all around the world and spend the day sight-seeing around Kuching Town. The festival has loads and loads to offer, especially for the musical enthusiast looking for exposure and experience. Plan your timing, try to arrive early for the best spots and do join the afternoon workshops or shop for souvenirs at the arts and crafts or memorabilia booths set all over the festival venue. There are also plenty of food stalls if you feel like tasting the local delicacies. You can print out the daily festival program here:
The Dress Code Kuching, in general, has good whether. However, it can be unpredictable. Dress for comfort. I have seen festival goers particularly ladies wearing high heels to the festival. This is highly discouraged as one, the festival ground spans over a large area and a whole lot of walking is expected; two, the walkways are made up of woodplanks (to reflect the traditional way back when) and there are gaps between the planks; three, the front-stage or 'mosh-pit' is earth, not paved, not woodplanks. I recommend t-shirt or tank tops, especially those made with jersey or quick dry material, shorts, and flip-flops. Accessories I cannot stress this enough. Last year was my second time going to the festival, and my first as a media representative - on which I made a couple of small but costly errors. The first being not having a power bank for my devices. I almost used up all my phone battery by the first hour of the evening performance. So yeah, bring along a power bank or extra battery for whatever you may need. There are power points in Dewan Lagenda (I cannot confirm if these can be used) but you don't want to be grounded with all the happenings around you, do you? The second was my memory stick - I barely have enough memory to store all those photos I took with my DLSR! Dang! By all mean I'm no pro, but like many I want to capture the moment in photos! So to help you out, here's a checklist of items that you might want to consider bringing along with you.
Powerbank for your devices.
Chargers, again for your devices. I'm adding a power extension cord here. Sharing is caring, no? Plus, it's a good way to make friends!
A spare change of clothes, kept in a plastic bag to keep dry.
Toiletries - this is really up to you how much you want to / can stuff into your backpack. Wet-wipes, tissue and toilet rolls, hand sanitisers are basic. Keep them in a sealed bag or plastic bag to keep them from getting wet in case it rains.
Raincoat / poncho / umbrella - unless if you don't mind getting wet in case it rains.
A small torchlight - you never know if and when it becomes handy.
A whistle - to attract attention if you found yourself in a predicament.
A backpack to keep all these in.
Things NOT to bring to the concert! They WILL be confiscated!
DRUGS! Just say no to them. There are other ways to have fun, like, uhh.. I dunno - just enjoy the music and the crowd?
Dangerous objects / objects that can cause harm - knives, scissors, sharp objects etc. Simply, if the items were not allowed in an aeroplane, they will not be allowed to be brought into the event grounds.
Food and drinks - yeah this is quite unfortunate. Even bottled water were confiscated last year. They do sell them inside at a price, so do bring cash with you.
Additionally, for those who plan to drive to the festival,
Unless you have the official car sticker, you won't be able to drive into the festival ground. Ensure your car is safely parked and locked. DO NOT leave any valuables in your car (This is a general rule, festival or not >.<)
Wrap your seat with old newspaper or plastic. If it rains, it will be muddy and you'll want your car interior to still be clean.
Bring a few bottles of water, both for drinking and to wash up after the event.
If you want to skip 2 and 3 above altogether, just keep a spare change of clothes in the bonnet and change before you drive home.
Keeping safe Always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you're going to the festival by yourself (in which case you can also contact me! I'll most probably meet my friends there, you're always welcomed to tag along). If you're travelling in a group, set up a MEETING POINT in the festival grounds. You'll most probably see other groups of festival goers carrying banners and signs like these. It's also a good idea to wear an identifier i.e bracelets, sash, cap etc. in case you need to quickly locate a missing member by announcing from the PA system. Do OBEY THE LAWS AND FESTIVAL RULES AND REGULATIONS. They are there for a reason. For one, it's you keep you and other festival goers safe. For another, it's to ensure that the festival management successfully organised the event for yet another year, keeping a good track record in hope that next year it will be held bigger and better! STAY HYDRATED. Drink lots of water, and stay under the shade as much as possible to avoid dehydration and heat strokes. Generally, tap water in the festival venue is treated, but there may still be pathogenic microorganisms that can cause diarrhea or worse. Drink bottled water instead - or beer, whichever you prefer >.< ENJOY!! After all, that is the main reason why you'd come to a festival in the first place, no?
For a world class event, just one day is not enough. RWMF is held for 3 days every year, and with the 3 days come the 3 nights of evening concerts. With myself as a crowd junkie and making acquaintance with stranger as a hobby, this is exactly the place I belong.
Along with other festival goers, I took loads and loads of pictures and videos. By all means I'm no pro at photography. I point and shoot, even with a DSLR. However, I hope that some of these pics and videos are able to convey how exciting the festival really is. (Some of the photos are taken by more experienced and even professional photographers, kudos to y'all!)
The highlight performance of the second night concert for me was the performance by Dizu Plaatjies & The Ibuyambo Ensamble from South Africa and The Pine Leaf Boys for USA. I managed to get a couple of videos of their performance (I do apologize if they're a bit shaky and the bad angles). Standby for a massively long post and wall of pictures and videos!
___________________________________________________________________________________________ Dizu Plaatjies & The Ibuyambo Ensamble
The crowd on the second night was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! The whole stage ground was filled, some more willing to shuffle all their way to the front of the stage while others sat and enjoyed the festival from afar. As I wondered around the Food Mart, almost every seat was taken. All in all it is safe to assume that the second day is the best day to come if you only plan to come to the festival for just a day!
It was a whole new level of experience. For those who like to meet and mingle with new acquaintances this is the place you wanna be. No ice breakers required, it's provided for you. No need to worry about where you come from, what your believes are, what colour is your skin, what tongue you speak in. Here, music of the rainforest is the only mode of communication you need, and the only currency accepted is joy, fun and unity.
As only one of many who attended the festival, I can only offer my point of view, but boy from behind the lens of my camera I see so many varieties that makes me appreciate even more the world that we live in and the people living in it.
Resting between the afternoon and evening workshop, I mingled around taking photos here and there, and made small talks. One of the most common question asked especially by foreigners from the Europe was what are some of the local customs and believes. It was a wonder to see the sparks in their eyes as I narrated the Malay customs (since I am Malay and I am not very familiar with other local customs. I don't want to accidentally give out the wrong information) of cats and mirrors and clothlines and clipping nails.
In one of the few minutes I spent with a pair of foreigners (I can't remember from where tho - like I said it's as if countries no longer exists once you're on the festival grounds) I discovered that there is a similar believe. Of cats, for instance, if a black cat crosses your path that would bring bad luck, but in Malay believe if a cat of whatever colour crosses your path you're gonna bump into a friend along the way. And of mirrors, I still know some families cover mirrors in their houses with a piece of cloth before going to bed for fear of the spirit of the dead sees themselves and starts wailing, quite similar to their believe that banshees reside on the other side and can cross over to our world using the mirrors as gateway.
Perhaps one believe that fascinates them most is that of cats and the deceased. In Malay believe, when a cat crosses over the body of the deceased during a wake, the body would spring back to life. I always leave them with this story, their eyes filled with excitement of a new and fascinating knowledge.
Perhaps one of the best kicks I got out of the 3 days festival was to see how strangers from so many different parts of the world come together and unite with the music and dances. Clearly there during the workshops, sharing tables at the Food Mart, browsing the crafts and merchandises at the Village Mart, and dancing their hearts out at the evening concert. Some even put into practise the dances they learnt during the workshop and danced out at whatever music the performers played on stage. It was a privilege to be part of such an amazing event.
I was here! At the Rainforest World Music Festival 2013! Marked as an annual event in Sarawak Tourism Board Events calendar, the 3-days world class festival features a lineup of performers from many different parts of the world facilitating workshops in the afternoon and concerts in the evening.
When the clock stroked 5 pm I was already very anxious to get to Sarawak Cultural Village to soak in the festival. First photo I took, a panorama of the early evening. It was only 7-ish, the crowd was bustling at the Village Craft stalls set all over the venue featuring spray on tattoos and hair tattoos. Not to mention the Food Mart and Heinekabana where most go to grab some bites and cool off the heat.
At 7.30 pm, the concert opens with the Native Festival Blessing. From my vantage point, as the chanting progresses, the crowd began to draw themselves to the stage as if mesmerized by it. The chanting was the local native's way to welcome visitors and spread peace, harmony and goodwill.
Here's a snippet of the chanting.
As always, there are two stages prepared for the night concert, and adhering to the theme of the rainforest each stage was named the Jungle Stage and Tree Stage. The performers alternated between the stages, and the crowd of festival-goers follow along as the concert progresses.
The welcoming performance began with a lineup of local performers : Juk Wan Emang, Lan E Tuyang, and Rythm in Bronze, followed by Chet Nuneta from France, Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica from Columbia, Alp Bora from Turkey, Nunukul Yugera from Australia (yeap, complete with the diggeridoo) and finally at closing with Kila from Ireland.
There were so many highlights I could not just pick a few! For starters, I'm a local Sarawakian, have only heard about nose flute but never seen it being played live. It is a dying form of music. In the old days, some of the native tribes in Sarawak namely Kayan played the nose flute (called Selingup, Selingut or Keringut in the local dialect) as part of the courtship process between an man and a woman, as well as during funerals to appease the spirits. To watch and listen first hand brings much appreciation to the land I live in.
I was especially proud when Lan E Tuyang followed the nose flute performance with their sapé, another local instrument of profound history. The music that comes from this boat shaped lute is soothing and tells a story that comes alive with your imagination.
Next was the performance from Rythm in Bronze. Here's a small snippet of their song called Suntuk Masa or Out of Time.
After a dose of local performers, the audience moved to Tree Stage. Chet Nuneta from France. What can I say about them. Their performance was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Perfect harmony, deep underlying message, energetic, colourful, mesmerizing, so many adjectives I could use to describe them but none will probably do justice. They sang songs from their album called Pangea, what they describe as borderless, of wanderings, of emotions, of vivid imaginations inspired by unrecognized languages, soon to be extinct, the history of a people or a popular poem. Pangea is a tribute to the people's memory. Chet Nuneta performs with a myriad of wonderful instruments that looked like they came from a forgotten place or tribe, or of fairy tale altogether. One of their song called Pigmees Blues sang about deforestation, and I just barely caught the lyrics "No more forest for us, we could build no more forest for us". So very profound message from their music, and such passion!
This is when my phone battery went flat. Sux to not have a powerbank or charger handy.
Next was the Alp Bora and Rey Vellenato Beto Jamaica - both featuring very different, very unique, very elegant styles. Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica with their accordion and percussion - Alp Bora with their unforgivably electrifying funky strings.
The closing number from Alp Bora was very very familiar. The lead singer introduced it to be featured in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, and Black Eyed Peas sampled it in one of their tracks. Unfortunately I don't have the recording because my battery completely died on me much to my frustration (but on the lighter side I reallly get to soak in the performances!) It's called Misirlou.
Happy as I was to be there, I was unable to stay til late (times like these is when you have to do errands or be at some place before God-knows-what o'clock) and missed Kila's performance. No doubt they rocked it anyways!
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