57 puppeteers for Rainforest World Puppet Carnival
KUCHING: Fifty-seven puppeteers from 17 countries are here for the Rainforest World Puppet Carnival at the Old Courthouse until Nov 16.
Puppeteers from countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Korea, Australia, Brazil and Argentina are expected to fascinate the crowd with their excellent showmanship of puppetry, with 14 shows and theatres scheduled.
“Puppetry is an ancient form of art which offers life to an otherwise, lifeless handiwork, and transform them into messengers of love and peace in our stories,” says World Puppet Carnival Asia Continental director Gerald Goh at the launching of the event at the Old Courthouse on Monday evening.
Goh thanked the state government for funding the event, through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and invited Sarawak and tourists alike to enjoy the performances and workshops held in conjunction of the carnival.
Permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Hii Chang Kee, who was representing the minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the event, said puppetry should be seen beyond art but a combination of performances, technical skills, craftmanship, and most importantly, the storytelling skills of the puppeteers.
The Sarawak government is fully supportive of the many many events to come. We encourage the public to come out with a lot of very creative events, art and culture to make Kuching a lively city, said Hii in his speech.
The highlight of the carnival would be an attempt to make it into the Malaysia Book of Records for the Highest Number of Puppeteers in a Single Puppet Parade of category, which will be held at the boulevard in front of Kuching South City Council building on Nov 16 (Saturday).
Admission to the carnival is free but tickets are needed to secure seats for the puppetry shows and theatres.
For more information on the puppet’s showtime and tickets, contact Sheila Kho at 019-8867881, Liew (016-8882090) or Gerald Goh (019-8165368).