Sarawakiana Carnival Miri 2019 (Sibu Learning Experience)

Introduction

The purpose of this write-up is to share the learning experience of Sibu's staff who had undergone attachment in Miri from 25 - 28 April 2019. The main objective of this attachment is to have first hand experience in managing Sarawakiana Carnival 2019, Miri from 25 to 28 April 2019 while performing some official duties during the event. The respective staff are as below :

1. Fairul Azli Banchit
2. Nur Faziella Syazmeen Hasli
3. Shahrieza Rabaie
4. Nur Amanina binti Mastani

Background

Sarawakiana Carnival was first organized in the year 2010 at Sarawak State Library, Kuching. The carnival was then subsequently conducted in the following year at Sarawak State Library, Miri campus from 24th to 26th June 2011. The Sarawakiana Carnival was held for the first time in the northern region to highlight and introduce the cultural heritage of the local indigenous people. It was held again in Miri campus from 8 to 10 May 2015 while in 2016 it was held from 20th to 22nd May in conjunction with the opening of Miri May Fest 2016. In Kuching, it was held on 29-31 October 2016 with the theme "Tradisi Kita, Khazanah Kita". For the year 2017, the 5th Sarawakiana Carnival was conducted on 5th, 6th and 7th May, 2017.

The Sarawakiana Carnival, which was previously held annually, received tremendously encouraging response from Miri residents. This is all possible due to the generous support and incredible cooperation from multiple agencies such as Miri City Council, community leaders, ethnic tribal associations, Nestle Products, communications companies and dealers around Miri City. In 2019, Sarawak State Library organized its 6th Sarawakiana Carnival on 26th, 27th and 28th April 2019. This time around, the carnival invites government and private agencies to participate in carnival activities besides being able to establish a smart partnership relationship.

Various activities were planned during this carnival starting from 8.00 am to 11.00 pm. The uniqueness and diversity of the country's culture and art, especially in Sarawak, is certainly recognized by the outside community. It follows the prototype of the multi-racial identity found in the country. The culture is based not only on clothing, dance, music and lifestyle but also includes games and food.

Main Committee Members

Penaung

Puan Arpah Adenan

Penasihat

Cik Hajah Salina Haji Zawawi

Koordinator

En. Ahmad Bin Samsudin

Koordinator 2

En. Muhammad Annwar Bin Adenan

Penolong Kordinator
En. Awang Yunus Awang Husain

Setiausaha

Pn. Georgiana Usun Jok

Pen. Setiausaha

Pn. Adelin Mohd Adenan

Bendahari

Pn. Azriana Enna Bong

Promosi & Perhubungan Awam

Puan Sonia Suria (K) & Pn. Siti Rohana

Tajaan

Pn. Lilian Baun Pulo (K) & En. Abdul Aziz Bujang

Jemputan

En. Awang Yunus (K), Pn. Zuwahir Ilias, Pn. Masni

Protokol

En. Mohd Khadzrie (K)

Penyelaras aktiviti dalam bangunan
En. Baktiar (K)

Penyelaras aktiviti luar bangunan

En. Nur Aiman (K)

Jawatankuasa logistik tapak karnival & pentas

En. Mohamad Nizam (K), En. Nur Aiman Nicholas Luyoh & En. Mohd. Bakhtiar Supardi

Jawatankuasa keselamatan

En. Abdul Aziz Bujang (K), En. Yusri Bujang & (KP)

Jawatankuasa hadiah & cenderahati

Pn. Siti Rohana, Norfadila

Jawatankuasa Jamuan

Pn. Norayah (K), Pamella

Jawatankuasa Dekorasi

En. Abdul Aziz Haji Kassim (K) Norfaezan/Lilian

Jawatankuasa buku buku program, kain rentang, bunting dan backdrop

En. Mohd Rasyeddin (K), Affendy Iezara

Jurugambar & Juruvideo
En. Kaberi Juan (K), En. Mohamad Nizam

Stage Manager (Perasmian & Pertandingan Bermukun)
En. Muhammad Annwar (K) / Pn. Adelin Adenan

Kecemasan

Pn. Suzanna (K)/ Bulan Sabit Merah / Pertahanan Awam

VIP for the Launching Ceremony

Below are the names who were invited to the launching ceremony of Sarawakiana Carninval 2019, Miri

Yang Berhormat Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
Menteri Pelancongan, Kesenian, Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan
Sarawak

Yang Berhormat Datuk Lee Kim Shin (absent)
Menteri Muda Pelancongan, Kesenian dan Kebudayaan Sarawak

Yang Berhormat Hajah Rosey Haji Yunus (absent)
Menteri Meuda Wanita, Keluarga dan Pembangunan Kanak-kanak

Yang Berhormat Encik Dennis Ngau (absent)
Ahli ADUN, N77 Telang Usang

Yang Berhormat Encik Ripin Lamat (absent)
Ahli ADUN, N62 Lambir

Yang Berhormat Dato' Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew
Ahli Adun, N73 Piasau

Yang Berhormat Tuan Anyi Ngau (absent)
Ahli Parlimen (P220) Baram

Tuan Adam Yii Siew Sang (absent)
Yang Berbahagia Datuk Bandar Miri

Smart Partners

1. Sarawak Art Council (MSS), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Culture and Sports, Sarawak
2. Polis Diraja Malaysia (Permit)
3. Miri City Council (Cleanliness, fan floor permit, banner permit, Power supply)
4. Persatuan Kayan Sarawak
5. The Society of Yoga Miriek
6. MalaysiaMalaysia
7. The DayakMiri Association
8. Education Society
9. Sarawak Sarawak Society
10. National Kenyah National Association
11. RELA
12. Department of Civil Defense Malaysia
13. Miri Resident Resident
14. AZIMA Enterprise
15. One Five One One Cafe & Catering
16.Maybank Berhad
17. CIMB Bank Berhad
18. Coway Berhad
19. ONE XOX
20. Evolution Fitness Crew Permyjaya

Budget Implication

1. Pameran Seni Arca : RM 150.00
2. Pameran dan Jualan Kraftangan Sarawak : RM350.00
3. Pameran Bersama Majlis Seni Sarawak : RM 75.00
4. Demonstrasi Tradisional Suku Kaum & Gerai Jualan Makanan Tradisional : RM 1,578.00
5. Demonstrasi Seni Arca bersama En Mages : RM275.00
6. Bengkel Muzik & Tarian Tradisional : RM 2,820.00
7. Di sebalik Tabir Penerbitan Siri Sarawakiana : RM 880.00
8. Pertandingan Bermukun 2019 : RM12,935.00
9. Bakat Tradisional Remaja : RM 4,550.00
10. Pertandingan Pakaian Tradisional Kreatif Kanak-kanak : RM 3,680.00
11. Sape Movement : RM 2,000.00
12. Bengkel Vokal : RM 2,595.00
13. Bengkel Manik: Tangu Moden : RM 3,100.00
14. Pertandingan Memasak dan Gubahan Masakan Tradisional Sarawak : RM 4,300.00
15. Movie Marathon for Kids : RM 00
16. Sukan Rakyat ( Kain Batik & Pelikat ) : RM 1,930.00
17. Majlis Perasmian : RM 6,580.00
18. Sesi Bersama Talian Komunikasi Anda & Gerai Jualan Pelbagai : RM 00

Other costs :
19. Main stage, Canopy VIP, Canopy & Sound System : RM 22,248.00
20. Generator Set : RM 7,100.00
21. Deco for main stage : RM 4,300.00
22. Live feed (2 days) : RM 6,000.00
23. Refreshment during the event : RM 12,000.00

Grand total for the whole event : RM 88,646.00

Learning Curves

Fairul Azli Banchit

There are many factors contributing to the successfulness of Sarawakiana Carnival in Miri. Among them are early planning, collaborating with the right organisation (government and non-government) and working with the right people. After setting the theme, the selected committee began to search for suitable collaborators, in and out of Miri. Example, the supervisor for the traditional dancers came all the way from Bintulu.

Proper budgeting plays an important role in ensuring a smooth run of the event. Some of the items that took big a bite at the budget are refreshment, stage setup, canopy and sound system. Therefore, looking for potential sponsors for other areas can really soften the blow to the budget, however only KSR are allowed to seek sponsorship as Pustaka being a government body are not allowed to do so.

Lastly, Miri's staff are all well prepared and they sang the same song to ensure every activities in Sarawakiana Carnival a success. This year the team had experienced a big loss as one of their team member had passed away. They had to quickly delegate all his tasks to the appropriate team members as they do not want to disrupt any planned activities due to this incident. It is important to have a back up plan for everything and this also include manpower, thus putting knowledge management at a greater height. Pre and post mortem are important as all staff can reflect what should and should not be done for the event and what contributed to the success of a particular events.

As for Sibu, the regional manager should ensure the team are well prepared mentally and physically, and also having a strong budgeting as Sarawakiana Carnival is truly a big event. People of Sibu definitely eager to participate as this is going to be the first event held there by Pustaka. Also, the top management do put a high expectation to Sibu's team as most of them are young, energetic and full of ideas. It would not be an easy tasks to continue the legacy as what Miri and Kuching had done, but never the less, it will not be an impossible feat to achieve such standard because the team have excellent mentors from both campuses.

Nur Faziella Syazmeen Hasli

Thrilled and excited was what we felt when we were given the opportunity to go to Pustaka Miri and experienced the Sarawakiana Carnival there. Sarawakiana Carnival is a great opportunity for Pustaka to create awareness on the culture, ethnic diversity, history, arts and many other local uniqueness to the people of Sarawak especially the younger generations and also international audiences.

On 25th April 2019, we went to Pustaka Miri and briefed on the entire program by En. Ahmad Samsudin. Ms. Shahrieza and I was also given the assignment to serve on protocol task during the opening ceremony of Sarawakiana Carnival on 26th April 2019. Big thanks to the Protocol team especially Pn. Suria Sonia & En. Mohd Khadzrie for the guidance as we are still new with the whole protocol process.

As Pustaka’s main partners were the local councils, associations, government agencies, politicians, NGOs and individuals, it is important for us to maintain our relationship with our partners like Persatuan Berawan, Persatuan Kayan Sarawak, etc. and convince them to join hands with us as they play a big role in sharing the uniqueness of their culture to the public during the Sarawakiana Carnival.

Sessions like cooking demonstration, wedding tradition, etc. allow Pustaka to preserve and document all the programs, so that the knowledge can be continue and used by future generations. I am personally interested in the behind the scene of Sarawakiana Series Publication. It can create awareness to local associations or villagers that Pustaka will gladly help them to document their traditions and cultures. During the session, there are local associations that came forward and show their interest.

We learned that it is very important to stay alert with every situation as some unexpected circumstances can occur during the program. It is important if we can have contingency plan for every program that we are going to do. Proper planning, budgeting, communication among team members and delegation of tasks play a crucial part in making the program running smoothly.

Pustaka Sibu team will also conduct Sarawakiana Carnival in near future and it will be our great opportunities to collaborate with Sibu people and study the uniqueness of central region of Sarawak.

Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Hajah Rashidah Bolhassan, Pn. Arpah Adenan, Cik Hajah Salina Haji Zawawi, Encik Ahmad Samsudin and all Pustaka Miri team for the great opportunities and guidance.

Shahrieza Rabaie

First of all I would to thank Dr. Hajah Rashidah Bolhassan, Puan Arpah Adenan, Cik Hajah Salina Haji Zawawi, En. Ahmad Bin Samsudin and all Miri’s staff because give us these opportunities to joined and be apart of AJK for Sarawakiana Carnival in Miri. I came across this golden moment to gain experiences from them as an expert on this Sarawakiana Carnival and for sure it will be applying for our Sarawakiana Carnival in Sibu.

As we know Sarawak Bumi Kenyalang is a famous for its diverse ethnic diversity and every ethnic group has different cultures and customs. The ideas of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak to come out with Sarawakiana Carnival is very good idea, in my opinion as a young generation we are lack of knowledge and information about others ethnic group in Sarawak such as their Food Traditions, Marriage traditions and History of their ethnic.

The privilege of Sarawakiana Carnival, Miri where is to gather all of ethnic associations, Government Agencies, NGO and others community at Miri to promote and to make society aware about them especially to young generation. In personally, before this I do not have any ideas about Miriek and Barawan ethnic, actually they are minority of ethnic in Sarawak. The interesting part is when I had opportunity to interview them in personally and get to know the history about their ethnic, then I realized that every ethnic they have their own uniqueness of traditions.

Besides that, there are many activities in Sarawakiana Carnival in Miri such as “Bengkel Muzik & Tarian Tradisional”, Demonstrasi Tradisional Suku Kaum, Demonstrasi Seni Arca, “Pertandingan Memasak Makanan tradisional Sarawak”, “Bermukun” and Penerbitan Siri Sarawakian. Of course, to make this successfulness Sarawakiana Carnival I am sure they need to work hard in behind the scene to make the program work smoothly. What I had learned from them is always have a backup plan for any possible circumstances to ensure the event work accordingly as a planned.

For me, Miri Staff have a strong team work spirit even they are just a small of number but they do very great job for this big event Sarawakiana Carnival. I hope Sibu’s Team have that spirit also or better than that and for sure I will share my experiences with Sibu’s Team.

Nur Amanina binti Mastani

After witnessing it as a spectator for a few years now, I was able to finally participate and see from the perspective of an organizer of the esteemed Sarawakiana Carnival in my hometown, Miri. As expected for large-scale festivities, a lot goes on behind the scene especially in the planning stages. Proper and thorough planning is the crucial factor to the success of Sarawakiana Carnival and it shows through the smooth execution throughout the program. Over the course of three days, Sarawakiana Carnival attracted people from all walks of life and showcased various cultural demonstrations through programs such as workshops on traditional music and traditional cooking demonstrations. Through this, cultural exchanges can be cultivated and meaningful experiences were gained.

What impressed me the most was the teamwork that the Pustaka Miri staff had with each other, regardless of their respective divisions. Everyone worked together to ensure smooth execution of the large scale carnival and were very welcoming especially towards us who came to learn from Pustaka Sibu. Despite the different teams they were put in and different programs they were in charge of, they were ready to lend out a helping hand in case anyone needs it. It was quite endearing to see as they needed the emotional support for each other, especially in the wake of their colleague's passing recently. Despite the pouring rain, they still stayed committed to their tasks and handled the event with class.

One of the other things that I admire is the ability that Pustaka Miri has to connect personally to the general public through the carnival. By being involved with the children's beauty pageant, I realized that most of the participants have had experience joining pageants held by Pustaka Miri, indicating that they have close relationship with the staff members. According to the staff members, some of the children have even grew up through the pageant. Another instance is how the Berawan tribe were really thankful to Pustaka Miri for providing a platform for them to showcase their culture to the public. In the demonstration that they made of their traditional wedding culture, Datin Catherine Awing (President of Berawan Sarawak Association) added a special traditional ceremony to thank and celebrate Pustaka Miri for their effort in preserving cultural heritage.

The highlight of the carnival was of course, the Mukun competition. Bermukun is essentially two people (usually women) who will play drums or bergendang while another two people (usually men) will dance or berjoget while exchanging verses of pantun. This was delightful to be witnessed as the melodies of bermukun is an intangible traditional art which I find personally interesting. The colourful outfits worn and the spontaneous verses of pantun all contribute to the liveliness of Sarawakiana Carnival. Members of the general public flocked together to see the session and participants were made up of not only local Sarawakians but also from the neighboring country, Brunei Darussalam. This proves that Sarawakiana Carnival is indeed becoming a true melting pot of culture. It was such a pleasure and such an honour to have participated in Sarawakiana Carnival 2019, and I have learned so much and will carry it with me, bearing it all in mind when Pustaka Sibu finally has its own Sarawakiana Carnival for Sarawak central region one day.