4 days ago
Unimas Arts Management third-years host seminar featuring sape maestro Mathew Ngau
Mathew (front row, sixth right) Rahah (front row, fifth right) takes a group photo with the third-year Arts Management students and seminar participants.
KUCHING (June 9): Universiti Malaysia Sarawak's (Unimas) Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts today hosted a seminar titled 'Sape and the Soul of Borneo: Heritage, Identity and Future' featuring national sape maestro Mathew Ngau Jau.
The event was organised by third-year Arts Management students under the Seminar Management course, and aimed to explore the role of the sape — a traditional Orang Ulu instrument — in shaping, preserving and promoting Borneo's cultural identity, particularly in Sarawak.
Mathew performed live for attendees, and also shared his decades-long journey as a cultural bearer during the programme.
Mathew, who is recognised as a National Living Heritage, captivated the audience with his reflections on tradition, modernisation and the need to pass on cultural knowledge to younger generations. His participation provided valuable insight into the challenges and hopes surrounding the future of traditional music.
Seminar Management lecturer Dr Rahah Hassan said the seminar was more than just an academic requirement, and was a real-world platform for students to apply their learning.
'This programme is created by students, for students. It's where they practise everything from planning to execution, while actively engaging in cultural preservation,' she said when met by reporters at Unimas after the event earlier today.
She added that the students had complete ownership over the event, from choosing the focus of the seminar to organising every detail.
'They chose for themselves who they wanted to spotlight, and what cultural element they felt was important to highlight.
'That process alone is a powerful way to instil appreciation and responsibility for heritage,' she said.
She also emphasised the urgency of youth-driven preservation efforts.
'We're not going to have masters like Mathew Ngau Jau forever. That's why this kind of programme is important. It's the younger generation taking charge of their cultural legacy,' she said.
The seminar forms part of an annual series of events under the Arts Management programme, with each cohort of third-year students selecting a unique cultural topic to explore through hands-on event planning.
'This is just one of many. Each year, our students organise similar seminars covering everything from music to crafts to rituals, anything that contributes to cultural preservation.
'It is how we make sure the theory they learn in class comes to life,' she said. Arts and Culture Mathew Ngau Jau sape Unimas
