‘Preserve customs, cultures and arts’
DALAT: All traditional customs, cultures and arts must be preserved to ensure their sustainability from generation to generation.
Welfare, Community WellBeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said this at a workshop on Dalat Traditional Dance at Dalat Stadium on Sunday.
Fatimah said culture represents the identity and way of life of a person.
She reiterated that various local cultures must be preserved as they show the uniqueness of Sarawak, which consists of people from various backgrounds and traditions.
“The staging of workshops such as the one we hold today is a good way to preserve our culture and arts. Culture has many aspects and one of them is arts.
“We must develop the art of dance so it will not be neglected and be outdated, especially traditional dance.
“Dances need to be taught by experts and I really hope our traditional dances can be continued,” she said.
She also suggested that a gallery of artifacts, people’s ways of life, and heritage be established.
Fatimah urged the Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) to look into niche areas such as teaching students to make traditional clothes.
A total of 157 people from 17 troupes in Dalat participated in the workshop.
At the function, each troupe received an allocation of RM500 from Fatimah.