It’s a hot and humid night in Sarawak, and I’m surrounded by thousands of people partying in stuffy conditions. Everyone is grooving to a musical repertoire that constantly changes over the course of a few hours. It started with a group of Mongolian throat singers whose melodious, guttural tones resembled the birds and wind of the Gobi Desert, and ended with a trio of Scotsmen, one of whom was suspended upside down from the shoulders of his colleague while playing an accordion.
Welcome to the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), staged in the forested grounds of the Sarawak Cultural Village at Damai Beach, Kuching. I’ve been to a few of these festivals over the past decade, and each one has been memorable, with a diverse range of music performed in a magical setting.
Sadly, in a world that is increasingly dominated by contemporary Western music, indigenous music is being slowly silenced. Global brands ensure that the music of Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift is what most young people listen to on their streaming devices the world over.
The festival has always set out to entertain the crowds but also to broaden their repertoire of musical genres. It’s probably fair to say that not all music is appreciated by everyone all the time. However, you must admire the festival’s artistic direction and the fact that it’s prepared to take the occasional risk with the invited musicians. Even if one or two performers are not to everybody’s liking, few question the high calibre of musicians who perform.
While the music is the primary reason for attending the festival, I’m convinced it really doesn’t matter who’s performing, as the musicians are all superb and often the best in their genre.
Tribal beats in a rainforest
Soon, from the 28th to the 30th of June 2024, the forests will resound to the infectious beat of world music at the RWMF. Every year, this festival, in its atmospheric rainforest setting at the base of Mount Santubong towering 800 metres overhead, attracts a little over 20,000 music lovers over the three-day event.
Numbers are capped for crowd comfort, and festivalgoers sprawl over the site, with many content to laze around the lake while watching the performances on several big screens. This is usually tested on Saturday evenings when the crowd peaks as everyone clambers to enjoy the liveliest performers. The final act on the last night is reserved for the most upbeat artists, who usually whip the crowd into a frenzied state before all groups join them on stage for a grand finale.
The diversity of world music
A question that constantly arises at gatherings like this festival is: What is world music? For the uninitiated, a representative from Inka Marka, a group that performed at the festival some years ago, described world music as “ancestral music—it’s in your DNA.” Haritra Rasoanaivo from the Madagascan band Tarika Be, who has performed at the festival, adds her take on world music: “Storytelling—the struggle of the people—it’s political and engaging.”
The festival also supports the continuation of the music and culture of Sarawak’s ethnic communities. Each festival includes local Sarawakian music, and there’s always the sound of a sape (a lute-like instrument) to be heard.
Musical jams & workshops
Each afternoon, musicians jam freely amongst themselves and with members of the audience who are encouraged to participate. Afternoon workshops are especially popular with young children, who have the opportunity to learn more about the range of instruments being played as well as to participate in various energetic and educational activities. Afternoon drum circles are another participatory activity where almost anything becomes a percussive instrument.
The festival is an initiative of Sarawak Tourism that aims to help promote the state while providing a platform for local communities and an increasing number of foreign tourists to enjoy music in the rainforest. It provides the opportunity for the rhythm and beat of local Sarawakian music to combine harmoniously with that of global musicians.
A Sarawak’s Kelabit Highlands representative summed up a deeper meaning for the festival’s existence: “When the culture dies, the people die.” Considering there are only a few thousand Kelabits still living in northern Sarawak, festivals like the RWMF are very important. While world music is a genre that has a past, it is also vital for the current and future generations of the Kelabits and other indigenous groups from around the world.
With a festival line-up of global musicians, world music has no geographical boundaries; it is music without borders. This year, concertgoers will be able to listen to and appreciate musicians such as the legendary Kitaro, the Havana Social Club, NiNi, and more than a dozen other exciting local and international performers.
The festival has become much more than a musical event as international world music performers complement local music, and the festival introduces Sarawakians to a range of music they don’t normally have on their regular playlists. In doing so, it provides value to local ethnic music and to the other acts that, in many cases, represent music that is being lost in many parts of the world.
Join in the fun as Sarawak strives to ensure that the rhythms of the forests pulsate alongside music from around the globe.
For more information on the festival, visit Rainforest World Music Festival and Sarawak Tourism. Tickets should be purchased well in advance via the festival website.
*Images of artists and performers by Rainforest World Music Festival. Other images by David Bowden.
