He said he had been supposed to travel to Japan for the World Music and Dance Festival and to Singapore for another event. On both occasions he was to be with Kelunan, a group of performers from the Kenyah and Kayan communities
“There was also keen interest in having Kelunan perform at the Rainforest World Music Festival Fringe in Kuching this year.
“But unfortunately all key events are either cancelled or postponed,” he told FMT. “There aren’t any live performances or shows, which means almost zero performance income for me.”
Although the 68-year-old also makes sape and gives lessons on how to play the instrument, the demand was slow while teaching in person is limited right now because of Covid-19 and various restrictions.
“But, I do play to keep myself inspired and to relax,” said the sape player, who was named a National Living Heritage of Malaysia in 2015
He said he is using “the quiet time” during lockdown periods, to paint and experiment with painting on various materials, including canvas and tree bark.
“If the pandemic remains a challenge next year, we might put our focus on development of creative work next year, either coming up with a new album or revisiting other forms of woodwork and fine arts,” he said.
The Kenyah sape master said he is also working with a community-led social company called the Tuyang Initiative, to take the Kelunan musical theatre virtually and in person next year and continue to develop other potential products and services.
Juvita Tatan Wan, co-founder of the Tuyang Initiative said they upskill their cultural practitioners while on the job and connect them with industry.
“We work with them in developing products and services and we carry a sense of responsibility to ensure there’s no exploitation, that stories told are true, and cultural practitioners get fair treatment and rates or fees.”
“Our target is the cultural practitioners in the art and creative sectors,” she said. “We called them cultural practitioners as they grew up with it as part of their culture and they are not trained or taught in a classroom,” she explained.