09-08-2025
IIUM students explore sape heritage at Sibu Dayak Sape Club
(Seated, from second left) Sharifah, Ismail and Anthony pose for a group photo with KSDS members and IIUM students during the delegation's visit to the KSDS Centre.
SIBU (Aug 9): A total of 27 students from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur visited the Sibu Dayak Sape Club (KSDS) Centre at Jalan Kampung Datu here on Thursday.
The students, who are majoring in Applied Arts and Design, were accompanied by two lecturers, Assistant Professor Dr Sharifah Tahirah Syed Kamarulzaman and Professional Technologist (Interior Designer) Ismail Jasmani.
According to Sharifah, the visit was part of the Kupuo' Baleh Menyulam Cerita Bumi Kenyalang tour series, aimed at conducting research and study for the students' academic subjects.
'We are in Sibu for two days to carry out research on the 'sape' through KSDS. The sape is one of the topics in our course, which involves art and design.
'We truly appreciate the cooperation given by KSDS in making this tour a success,' said Sharifah, who led the delegation.
She added that besides visiting the KSDS Centre, the group also toured the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) campus, a longhouse in Bawang Assan, and several other locations around Sibu.
After their stop in Sibu, the group will continue their tour to Miri before returning to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (Aug 10).
Welcoming the group, KSDS chairman Anthony Abong noted that IIUM was the first delegation to visit their centre.
'KSDS is always ready to cooperate with any party interested in learning about the sape — not only how to play it, but also its history,' he said.
Anthony added that the KSDS Centre preserves various records on the sape, including written documents, photographs, and actual instruments, all of which are suitable for research and study.
During the visit, the IIUM delegation attended a talk on the history of the sape, observed a sape-making demonstration, explored a sape exhibition, and had the opportunity to try playing the instrument.
They also participated in a session with the traditional Iban percussion instrument known as the 'Betaboh'. IIUM International Islamic University Malaysia lead Sibu Dayak Sape Club
