Kenyah community musicians playing the sape in 'Kelunan', a traditional performance by The Tuyang Initiative, at DPAC in Petaling Jaya in 2019. In the middle is sape master Mathew Ngau Jau, accompanied by Salomon Gau and Lian Balan (right). - The Tuyang Initiative
Sarawakian social enterprise The Tuyang Initiative is appealing to the kind generosity of Malaysians to help send a community of indigenous performers to the World Music and Dance Festival in Japan this August.
Set to be held in Hakodate, Hokkaido from Aug 5-11, the annual festival is considered one of Japan’s largest and most international performing arts festivals, drawing around 30,000 people from around the world.
The Miri-based initiative, dedicated to showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Borneo's indigenous Dayak groups, has been invited to this year’s festival, where it hopes to perform a brand-new piece featuring practitioners from several Dayak groups, including Kenyah, Kayan, Lun Bawang and Iban.
It has launched a crowdfunding campaign on SimplyGiving.com to help to get the performers to Japan.
“The festival will take care of most of our logistics, but we will need to find our own way there, meaning flights from our various home bases in Sarawak to Hakodate, Hokkaido. We've calculated that for the size of our group of about 15-18 people (including possible layovers, excess baggage and insurance), it would cost us around RM180,000 to get to Hakodate and back. As a micro social enterprise, we just don't have that kind of money. So we’ve decided to crowdfund the amount we need,” reads a statement from The Tuyang Initiative on its SimplyGiving page.
The group has tried to secure financial assistance by reaching out to the Sarawak state government and national airlines since September 2023, but has unfortunately been unsuccessful in its attempts so far.
The deadline to confirm its participation in the Japanese festival is April 10.
What is the planned show?
The Tuyang Initiative's Wind And Earth, the collaborative performing arts piece that it hopes to perform in Japan, interweaves the Dayak communities’ distinctive creative expressions, which are influenced by their geographical location and relation to the natural elements. Through the performance, the audience will discover the expressions that are special and unique to each community.
"Every creation by Tuyang is crafted with a deliberate intent to authentically share our narratives while staying true to our traditions, and yet incorporating innovative elements to resonate with audiences beyond our communities,” says Mactayren Jupiter, The Tuyang Initiative’s digital communications lead.
“We take pride in the boundary-pushing outcomes stemming from community-led collaborations with cultural practitioners. There are no external creative directors, it is all us. So the potential impact and reach of platforms such as the World Music and Dance Festival is immense for the practitioners and our communities.”
Wind And Earth will be presented under the banner of Lan e Tuyang (which loosely translates to “amongst friends” in the Kenyah language), a traditional musical group founded by 72-year old sape master Mathew Ngau Jau.
This performance will be done in collaboration with Adrian Jo Milang, a 26-year old Kayan oral tradition practitioner from Uma Awe, Sungai Asap together with other practitioners from Baram, Kapit and Ba’kelalan.
“We believe that this journey to Japan will be a significant milestone, as it presents a unique opportunity for the indigenous cultural guardians to showcase their culture and way of life, as well as inspire their communities back home through an international stage,” says Mactayren.
“We are hopeful that with the support of generous donors, we can make this trip a reality,” he adds.
The Tuyang Initiative has also received a letter of support from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC), enabling corporate sponsors to receive tax exemption for supporting MOTAC-backed arts and culture initiatives.
