For Jason Brooke, grandson of the last Rajah Muda of Sarawak, Anthony Brooke, it is a time to reflect on legacy and responsibility.

“I’ve always remembered Sarawak as being a huge part of my family’s identity. It was our origin, our roots,” he told FMT.

“For almost four generations, we were Sarawakians living in Sarawak. That was how we identified ourselves.”

However, despite his connection to Sarawak’s history, the 37-year-old did not set foot in the land of his forefathers until about 14 years ago.

He felt overwhelmed when he first arrived, recalling the stories he had been told by his family.

“There was so much warmth, which I didn’t expect,” he said. “It was a reconnection with real people. That had quite an effect on me.”

The experience left him with a sense of purpose that he felt had been shared by six generations of Brookes.

“I think that’s what it came to represent for James Brooke, who was in his late 30s when he became Rajah. Suddenly, he found purpose where it hadn’t been before.”

In the last 14 years, Jason has sought out Sarawakian artefacts and archived documents in his family’s possession, placing them in a charity and making them available to the public.

His goal is to take tangible parts of Sarawak’s history – from age-old buildings to artefacts – as well as intangible elements like stories and oral histories and offer them collectively to inspire people.

While this Sarawak Day is a quiet day of reflection for Jason at his home in Britain, he hopes for livelier celebrations in years to come. A plan to open a Sarawak museum in England is already in the pipeline.

“We have a project to install a museum at Rajah James Brooke’s home in Devon, where all of the Rajahs are buried,” he said. “Perhaps in future years, when that’s firmly-launched, we can celebrate in Devon as well.”

Jason wished all Sarawakians a happy Sarawak Day, urging them to take pride in what makes the state special.

“Continue cherishing the story of your origins, where these incredibly diverse communities came together to form a community of communities,” he said.

“I hope Sarawakians will continue to cherish just why that is so special and to continue with the harmony that they enjoy.”