Screengrab shows a Sarawak traditional performance session being aired on the second day of RWMF 2021.
KUCHING (June 29): This year’s Borneo Jazz Festival (BJF) gathered fans from 33 countries throughout event, which ran from June 25 to 27.
The 16th edition of one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the region attracted more than 116,000 viewers who followed the shows via the official BJF website and its social media platforms.
Main organiser Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) said the festival was also aired on TV Sarawak (TVS) and Shopee Live.
“This iconic event, which has helped raise Miri’s profile as the northern gateway to Sarawak, has gone from strength to strength since its inception.
Abdul Karim, flanked by STB chairman Dennis Ngau (left) and the ‘Virtual Experience’ host Datin Dona Drury-Wee, seen on stage ahead of the opening ceremony of BHF 2021.
“Now, we are very proud to see that it has found its way to a much broader audience and has also provided our Sarawakian artistes an even bigger platform for their artistry to be recognised around the world.
“The increased participation and the element of online engagement for BJF 2021 have given us a new baseline, and should help us to better gauge on ways we can develop next year’s edition, scheduled to run from June 24 to 26,” said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Themed ‘Borneo Jazz Memories: A Virtual Journey’, this year’s BJF carried out the format where the Sarawakian artistes performed in pre-recorded sessions, which were later showcased in between exclusive interviews with seasoned jazz veterans like Singapore’s ‘King of Swing’ and Asia’s jazz superstar Jeremy Monteiro, as well as Dave Brewer of Dave and the Doodaddies, and John Hammond.
STB said prior to BJF, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2021 was held from June 18 to 20 and had recorded around 140,000 viewers from 80 countries through the official website, the event’s social media platforms, as well as via TVS and Shopee Live.
Abdul Karim said the high number of viewers recorded during this time of the pandemic was testament to how well-loved and relevant these iconic events were.
“We’re very happy to be able to reach out to the fans through their individual screens, and we hope to see the end of the Covid-19 pandemic soon so that we could continue bringing in more value-added entertainment to devoted festival-goers.
“Next year’s RWMF has been tentatively scheduled for June 17 to 19, and it would be especially meaningful as we will be holding the 25th edition of the RWMF since its maiden staging in 1998.
“We hope to be able to celebrate its silver jubilee in a grand way,” said the minister.
STB said through www.rwmf.net and www.jazzborneo.com platforms, viewers could watch the performances, interviews and flashbacks as well as engage in conversations with other online users throughout each of the 90-minute events.
As the viewers enjoyed the shows on TVS, BJF’s official broadcast partner, or on Shopee Live, they also enjoyed ordering food and receiving discounts on GrabFood, the official delivery partner for BJF.
With Shopee named as the official e-commerce partner, the virtual experiences of both RWMF and BJF 2021 were made accessible to millions of households across the country.
The STB had also opened an official store on Shopee to feature exclusive RWMF and BJF merchandise items such as limited-edition T-shirts, limited-edition ‘Batik Linut’ and printed batik face masks, as well as other attractive products.
These limited-edition RWMF and BJF merchandise items could also be purchased via https://shopee.com.my/placeborneosdnbhd.