Groove to jazzy tunes while saving turtles

For a good cause: All proceeds from Sepilok Jazz 2024 will go towards marine turtle conservation efforts on Libaran Island.

KOTA KINABALU: Sea turtles will come under the spotlight at a live music event next month.Sepilok Jazz 2024, set to take place at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in east coast Sandakan on Sept 6 and 7, offers the public a chance to be entertained while directly contributing to the protection of endangered marine turtles.

The third edition of the festival is organised by Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (Foster).

Foster chairman Alexander Yee said all proceeds from the event would go towards marine turtle conservation efforts on Libaran Island, located off the coast of Sandakan.

Since its inception in November 2011, Foster, in collaboration with Sabah Wildlife Department, has successfully released around 45,000 baby turtles from the award-winning Walai Penyu Conservation Park.

“The funds raised through Sepilok Jazz will ensure the continuation of this vital conservation work.

“We anticipate an audience of over 1,000 people, both local and international. Our goal is to inspire a deeper commitment to marine conservation through this unique jazz event,” Yee said.

During a courtesy call on state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew yesterday, Yee and music director Cheong Kok Ann briefed her on the festival’s objectives.

They highlighted that the event, in collaboration with Sepilok Jazz Academy, would also serve as an educational platform, particularly for the younger generation, on the importance of preserving marine turtles.

Liew praised Foster’s efforts and urged the public to support the event for its dual purpose of entertainment and conservation.

“With a larger venue at the RDC and extensive publicity, I’m confident that this year’s event will attract a bigger crowd,” she added.

Liew was later entertained by budding trumpeter Krischelle Jade Cheong, a Year Four pupil of SK(C) Anglo-Chinese in Penampang, who played When the Saints Go Marching In.

MASwings, one of the festival’s sponsors, is actively promoting Sepilok Jazz by distributing flyers on all its nine planes within Sabah.

Also present at the meeting were the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary I Mary Malangking and representatives from Borneo Excursions, the official travel agent for Sepilok Jazz 2024.