Thursday, April 28, 2011

Sabah Fest 2011 - A Colourful Cultural Extravaganza

KOTA KINABALU: The annual Sabah Fest, a cultural extravaganza, the state’s largest and most colourful cultural event of the year is here again.

It started yesterday with the Cultural Extravaganza while the Premiere Show will be held today at the Magellan Grand Ballroom, Sutera Harbour Resort at 7pm.

The grand launching will be carried out by the Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Juhar Mahiruddin, who will be accompanied by his consort, Toh Puan Datin Seri Panglima Norlidah Datuk R.M Jasni at the Magellan Grand Ballroom of Sutera Harbour Resort at 8pm.

At a recent press conference, the Minister of Tourism and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun revealed that the 23rd edition of Sabah Fest will bring to the audience the story of ‘Papakang – The Odyssey of Seven Brothers’, a one-hour musical theatre-style production based on a local folklore of the legendary Nunuk Ragang.

Guests can hope to be entertained by a dazzling display of Sabah’s traditional songs and dances, as the legend unfolds.

The story is about the seven sons of the Nunuk Ragang, chief of Kampung Tompios in the district of Ranau, who coveted the mystical Papakang stone.

They looked for it but it was the youngest son, Aki Lintobon, who successfully retrieved it from the bottom of the river.

After he retrieved it however, the brothers squabbled over who would possess the stone.

Seeing this, their father smashed the stone into seven pieces and gave each son a piece, telling them that this would serve as a reminder of their identity as siblings and their origin.

As time passed, food became scarce in that area and famine began to beset the land.

They were more quarrels as they strived to survive.

They fought amongst each other and headhunting became rampant.

The people had no choice but to make an option; migrate and look for better land or risk starvation.

They took the latter and the the six older brothers led their people to different areas.

They began their journey towards other part of the land one day, holding on to the stone their father gave them so that they may identify their people in other parts of the land one day.

The youngest named Aki Lintobon, remained in Tompios and even as he watched his siblings walked away, he vowed to seek and reunite his brothers.

The years went by and one day Aki Lintobon decided that it was time to bring his family back together again and thus began the amazing journey of Aki Lintobon across the land to look for his family and the stone of Papakang.

Guests tonight will see the depiction of this journey through the drama and dance.

Continue reading at: Sabah Fest 2011 - A Colourful Cultural Extravaganza
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