Sape gains global fame, thanks to Rainforest festival

Rich culture: Abdul Karim (left) and the ministry’s permanent secretary Hii Chang Kee posing with musician Desmond Junek at the launch of the coffee table book. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

KUCHING: The sape, the traditional boat lute of the Orang Ulu community, is now an iconic world instrument thanks to Sarawak’s renowned Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), says the state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry.

“Recently, during the Citrawarna Malaysian Family event at the Kuching Waterfront, a sape concert made it into the Malaysia Book of Records for being the largest performance by sape players,” said Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.