The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating the diversity of world music. Held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, it includes daytime music workshops, cultural and craft displays, food stalls, as well as main-stage evening concerts in an actual rainforest setting, under the dramatic backdrop of Mount Santubong. Starting with only a few hundred people attending in 1998, the Festival has grown to become an internationally recognised music festival with attendance in the tens of thousands, and feature well-known performers from around the world. The Festival feature a wide range of performance styles and genres, from traditional music, to world fusion and contemporary world music.(1)
Responsible tourism, and cultural celebration will intersect under the theme “Evolution” in this year’s 27th edition of Rainforest World Music Festival, where the RWMF will truly become a melting pot of cultures, ideologies, and environmental stewardship. Going beyond its traditional role of showcasing the world’s diverse musical traditions, the RWMF will also serve as dynamic platform advocating for sustainable practices in tourism and conservation. It’s poised to be a unique edition of this iconic festival, elevating its significance in promoting both cultural exchange and environmental awareness.
A kaleidoscope of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals: is the best description for Sarawak. Sarawak comprises of more than 34 ethnic tribes with their own unique traditions, lifestyles, music and food, while sharing their warm hospitality. Malaysia’s largest state, Sarawak, endowed with some of the oldest rainforests on Earth. Its vast landscape spans over 120,000 sq kms, with towering mountains and cool highlands, jagged limestone formations and mysterious cave systems, winding rivers and quiet beaches; where adventures are waiting to happen. Festivals are hosted throughout the year celebrate the eclectic blend of modern and traditional culture, food, music and religious practices that can be found nowhere else. In Sarawak, there is always ‘More to Discover’.
The festival spans three days and includes music workshops, cultural displays, craft exhibitions, and food stalls during the day, while the main stage hosts evening concerts. It emphasizes cultural diversity and environmental awareness, with a focus on responsible tourism and sustainable practices. Over the years, the RWMF has hosted performers from around the world and become a vibrant hub for cultural exchange, making it a key event in Malaysia’s cultural calendar.
(1) Back in 1997, a Canadian musicologist named Randy Raine-Reusch visited Robert Basiuk, who was Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Sarawak Tourism Board then. Randy was researching ethnic music and was particularly interested in the Sape, played mainly by the Kayan and Kenyah people of Sarawak. During their meetings, they discussed a possibility of Sarawak having an annual music festival along the lines other festivals in the world. To test the idea, a group of local musicians were formed to take Sarawak music to the world stage at the World Music Expo (WOMEX) festival in Marseilles, France. They rehearsed with Randy for a week in Kuching and left for Marseilles to perform at the WOMEX festival. Hardened European agents, managers and festival directors were brought to tears at the beauty and purity of their performance on the sape.
In March 1998, the Tourism Board approved the funding for the festival, but with the provision that the organiser be the Sarawak Tourism Board. The Society Atelier Sarawak was to take the role of technical support in terms of the music and Randy was appointed as the main consultant for the event. By this time, the rest of Sarawak Tourism Board staff were being conscripted in to assist with the organization and running of the festival; behind-the-scenes roles they took on and have continued to fill until the present day. The crowd in the first year was small with an audience of only 300, but soon escalated to become one of the most awaited musical fiestas that Sarawak proudly hosts each year.