By Olivia Miwil - May 13, 2022 @ 12:09pm
KOTA KINABALU: The inaugural Borneo Native Festival to be held in Kuala Lumpur next weekend will not only showcase native culture but also Sabah's economy.
Sukaseni founder and festival organiser Rafie Syazwan Arpandi said between May 20 and 22, 70 vendors from Sabah and Sarawak would promote handicrafts, food and beverages among others to tourists visiting the Central Market.
"We are hoping for entrepreneurs to not just sell their products but engage with potential collaborators in peninsular Malaysia as we know Kuala Lumpur is the economic centre of the country.
"Maybe someone would want to be dropship agents or sell those products at their stores as the Bornean products will have more demand as they are rare in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sarawak or Brunei," he said after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) here yesterday.
Rafie added that for the first edition of the festival, Sukaseni had roped in government agencies, associations and universities from Sabah and Sarawak to take part in the bazaar, cultural shows and food demonstration, dance competition, talks, workshops and educational sessions.
The festival will also see the apperances of former Miss Universe Malaysia Francisca Luhong James from Sarawak and Malaysian American singer Nikki Pallikat from Sarawak on the second day, and Sabah's Velvet Aduk and Marsha Milan on the last day.
"We also encourage people to wear traditional attires on Saturday (May 21). This is our time. And probably for next year, the festival will also invite delegates from Indonesia and Brunei to be with us."
SCENIC general manager Viviantie Sarjuni said they were collaborating with Sukaseni to bring talents from Sabah to the festival.
"Our objective is for our social entrepreneurs to get exposure and networking, as well as having collaboration with other entrepreneurs in peninsular Malaysia.
"We want them to learn about the ecosystem in peninsular Malaysia. Entrepreneurs should understand the demand here in Sabah might be different from Kuala Lumpur and other regions."
At press time, among the chosen entrepreneurs for the festival are Jess Boubie who will promote brass jewellery, Kelarai Craft who makes traditional bags and crafts, MJ by Mus that sells community's products, Emoms's ready-to-eat traditional food as well as Moyog Innovation house provides basic e-commerce and marketing infrastructure and training workshops to help beneficiaries generate revenue by selling their products online.
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