KUCHING, December 26, 2016 - The workmanship of the Murum Penan artisans
attracted a favourable number of customers at the recent Sarawak Handicraft
Festival, earning them around RM10,000 in sales.
The artisans proudly showcasing their products. Also in the
picture are Sarawak Energy Community Relations assistant Florida Havit (left,
back row) and Community Relations executive Alis Ekan (second left, back row).
Festival goers were drawn to the booth displaying crafts
of the Murum Penans like gawung (rattan basket), ba’rang (water bottle
carrier), bo’rat (rattan mat), ba’sah (rattan bangles) and more during the
10-day event at the Kuching Waterfront here.
Sarawak Energy in a joint effort with the Malaysian
Handicraft Development Corporation (MHDC) assisted the artisans in terms of
logistic arrangements with the aim of providing them an opportunity to promote
and market their products as well as to give them the exposure to the
handicraft industry.
Artisans Kong Kupak, Unyang Gasing, Roska Asan, Medlin
Lagu, Meron Kulleh and Bonny Sanai commented that they felt more confident in
their craft making skills following the good response and feedback they
received at the festival.
Joanne Tan,
Sarawak Energy Berhad's senior manager of Social Investment and
Community Development, said: “This is the fourth outing for the Penan artisans
from Murum to showcase their craft making, promote their handicrafts and gather
more knowledge and ideas from other players in the craft industry.
"They are already master craftsmen but we want to
take that to the next level by improving the marketability of their products to
improve the socio-economic opportunities of the community.
"Aside from exposing them to new design concepts
available in the market, their exposure to events such as this festival serve
as an ideal platform for them to network and be around other artisans,"
she added.
Culture and heritage is one of SEB's corporate social
responsibility pillars, and the corporation has rolled out a comprehensive plan
to develop the handicraft skills and products of the Penans at Murum to provide
them with an alternative livelihood plan.
The other exhibitions participated by the Murum Penans
includes the Festival Kraft Sarawak held in Miri and Bintulu in 2015 and this
year’s National Craft Day in Kuala Lumpur.
Prior to the exhibitions, they underwent structured
training programmes organised by SEB to diversify and improve the quality of
their handcrafted products like rattan weaving, rattan products sewing
techniques and proper finishing techniques on parang (machete) making.
A number of training workshops were organised since 2015
at Long Wat and Long Malim, in partnership with Sarawak Craft Council (SCC) and
MHDC Sarawak Branch.
As a continuation of the training, Sarawak Energy is
currently partnering with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s Faculty of Applied and
Creative Arts to develop value-added craft products with contemporary designs
that will be commercially-viable.
This forms part of the SEB-community partnership
programme to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the resettled
community as well as the preservation of their heritage for the generations to
come.-
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