Borneo Rhythms of Rimba festival set to make comeback after four years

KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Rhythms of Rimba (Borneo ROR) festival which promotes environmental awareness is set to make a comeback in September this year after a four-year hiatus.

Organising chairman Anton Ngui Tze Vun said the festival, set over two days from Sept 21, will focus on raising environmental awareness through engagements with the general public, especially the young people.

“We hope to further expose Sabah’s rich heritage and biodiversity to the rest of the world,” he said, adding that the annual Sandakan-based environmental festival had stopped following the 2020 Covid-19 shutdown.

He said that they were targeting 5,000 people from all over Malaysia, foreigners and the local community.

“We are trying to get well-known environmentalists or conservationists from the United States, United Kingdom and Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam to come and share their experiences,” he said, adding that local experts from Sabah Forestry Department, Environment Protection Department, Sabah Wildlife Department will also participate.

The event is organised by non-governmental organisation Future Alam Borneo (FAB) at the state forestry’s Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok.

Ngui had briefed state Tourism, Environment and Culture Minister Datuk Christina Liew about the Borneo ROR.

Ngui said that the two-day event would be packed with programmes including workshops on recycling, ‘Experience the Pristine Rainforests’ via tree-climbing, and a music segment, among other components.

“There will be something to suit everybody’s taste. Children will have hands-on experience through art and craft activities,” he added.

The organisers were hoping to be family-oriented and want to make this year’s festival “more fun” and “more colourful” for families in their bid to attract participation from the young generation, while getting the message of environmental preservation across at the same time.

The organisers are also seeking to work in collaboration with state Tourism, Culture and Environment for the Borneo Rhythms of Rimba 2024.

Liew said she was agreeable to the idea of collaboration to ensure its success.

“We will give the necessary assistance to Future Alam Borneo so that it can achieve its objective of raising public awareness of the importance of protecting and conserving the environment for future generations.

“I am glad the organisers are capitalising on Sandakan’s rich natural heritage to hold a meaningful festival in the interest of public education,” Liew said.