KUCHING: The 13th edition of the Festival Gendang Sarawak  (FGS) 2024 organised by the National Department of Culture and Arts (JKKN) opened its doors with much fanfare at Kuching Waterfront, on Friday.

The festival was officiated by the Governor of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri. Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi.

Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP), Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said one of the interesting features of the festival is the Sarawak Malay Drums Competition.

According to him, in addition to zonal and section level drumming groups in Sarawak, this edition also involves the participation of groups from the neighboring country of Brunei Darussalam to win the title of Sarawak Malay Drums Competition Champion 2024.

"This Sarawak Malay Drums Competition has become a competition that Sarawakians have been awaiting every year, whereby this heritage art has been preserved over the years and returned to be shown to the community to be remembered and raised to a higher level.

"When there is a large-scale programme organised, small traders, business premises and the hotel industry will indirectly have a positive impact where they will be able to multiply their income and further contribute to domestic income and income through cultural tourism activities such as this," he said.

He said this during the opening ceremony which was followed by the Sarawak Malay Drums Competition.

There are two categories being contested, namely Drumming in Groups (Adults) and Tandak (Children) in Pairs.

The winner of the adult category takes home a cash prize of RM5,000, the runner-up RM4,000 and the third place RM3,000.

Meanwhile, in the children's category, the winning pair receives cash amounting to RM1000, runner-up RM800 and third place wins RM600.

FGS 2024 which will last for three days from November 1 to 3 is a synergistic programme between the Sarawak Government and the Federal Government through the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), in conjunction with the Sarawak Regatta - Kuching Waterfront Festival 2024.

Also present were the wife of MOTAC Deputy Secretary General (Management) Dato' Shaharuddin Abu Sohot, MTCP Permanent Secretary Datu Sherina Husaini, JKKN Director General Mohd Amran Mohd Haris, Kuching Dayang Division Resident Joanita Azizah Abang Morshidi, Sarawak JKKN Director Noor Seela Noor Sulaiman and other dignitaries.-UKASnews