Malaysia's Sarawak Cultural Troupe To Perform In Milan, Italy

KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia), May 14 (Bernama) -- The renowned Bidayuh ring ladies cultural troupe from a village here will participate at the Lo Spirito Del Pianeta (international festival of indigenous people and tribal groups) at Begamall in Milan, Italy from May 25 to June 13. The trip to the festival is arranged by the Sarawak Culture Village (SCV) and they will be joined by the Iban and the Orang Ulu cultural troupes, a Bidayuh wood carving maker, pua kumbu makers and Orang Ulu bead makers. At the festival the ring ladies' Peluk Anak Abeh, Tawud Anak Luhan and Singai Anak Nekan and male vocalist and musician Mat Titeng will perform at the concert to showcase Bidayuh traditional dances and costumes. Mat, a teacher by profession, said he will sing the folklore songs and play the popular Bidayuh bamboo musical instrument ‘pretong’ at the concert. “While there (Milan) we will also be participating in the other activities arranged by the organiser including the craft bazaar and workshops where we will be showcasing our skills in the making of brass rings,” said Mat. On Friday night , the group members were feted to dinner by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) and were presented with the full set of Bidayuh costumes and pocket money by the association’s deputy president Boniface Anat Litis. Mat said this would be their first performance outside the country after performing twice in Kuala Lumpur during the festivals. According to Mat, those three ring ladies were probably the last in Sarawak or even in Borneo as the young generation were not keen to wear these rings, which were once the symbol of beauty among Bidayuh ladies. The festival in Milan, which gathers cultural troupes and performers from all over the world, was created to give a firsthand account of people who daily live through their culture and share it with others, to erase the stereotypes that often do not reflect reality, through the movement of the dances, prayers, spirituality of each of these people and ethnic groups. Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia and northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, that are broadly similar in language and culture -- BERNAMA