Hoping others follow example of Sabah
Published on: Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Agop is the State's humble contribution to encourage others to follow Sabah in observing racial and religious tolerance, said State Culture, Tourism and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun."For the first time we were able to blend in Chinese culture within our story line which I think is good so that the Chinese feel they have a place within our culture in Sabah."Especially now that the issue of unity is in question, the issues of racial and religious tolerance are being challenged, I think Sabah should lead the way," Masidi said of the Sabah Fest 2015 Cultural Extravaganza Musical themed Agop, at the JKKN auditorium.
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"The Chinese part of the story actually adds colour and beauty to the plot. I think we have laid down a good foundation to consider future story-telling and shows to make it interesting. But, of course, every year we have a different theme," Masidi told Daily Express.The musical themed Agop, or cave in Ida'an, Orang Sungei, Dusun Begak and Dusun Subpan language, has a Chinese element on account of the intense historic Chinese interest on the purported health benefits of edible swiftlet nests (yan wo), especially their reported preference for nests harvested from Sabah's Gomantong Caves.Agop credits a storm-struck voyage to the South Sea by Admiral Cheng Ho for first discovering Borneo's bird's nests plucked from limestone caves. It depicts imperially well connected Ong Sum Ping's forays into the Kinabatangan River and his encounter with a pretty Ida'an princess, flashes back-screen images of Chinese junks sailing up river towards Gomantong Cave – just the sort of communication tools to depict a centuries old reality of an ancient trans-cultural bird's nests trade that cross bred economic benefits between natives of eastern Sabah and China.A relationship dramatised by a clever use of the famed melancholic sounds of the classical imperial Chinese violin 'Er hu' to back an indigenous Ida'an love song, plus a couple of captivating Chinese dances in sync to a selection of magnificent symphonic music.
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Yet, it was done without being intrusive or artificial but blended in perfect balance as an added attraction to the matching excellence of the captivating flows of a Tawau hailed traditional Tidong Zepen dance to the classy rhythm and heart-winning tunes from a multi instrumental ensemble of their own, the grace and beauty of a rare Dusun Melangkap appearance, the splendour of yellow-capped and all black-clad Orang Sungei ladies of Kinabatangan who filled the stage and the little known Dusun Sandayoh of Paitan, Beluran, all of which prompted spontaneous "wows" from the audience.
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"I want to congratulate the production team (from Sri Pelancongan Sabah). They have done a very good job, everybody worked very hard and for all the sleepless nights they had gone through, it's worth it. The end result is very good, practically everyone I met had something nice to say about the show. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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