Chua (second right) and the delegation before boarding the flight to Taiwan yesterday.

KOTA KINABALU: The dance troupe from KDCA will be representing Malaysia at the 3rd Global Indigenous Peoples Performing Arts Festival in Taiwan which will be held from July 29 to August 8.

They will be performing three dances, namely, the ?Huminodun? (Legend of Kadazandusun), the ?Magunatip? (Murut Warrior Dance) and the ?Malaysia Truly Asia? which showcases the diversity of Malaysia?s culture.

The delegation from Malaysia is headed by Malaysia-Taiwan Trade and Economic Association (Culture Bureau) director Datuk Chua Soon Bui.

Speaking to reporters before the delegation?s departure yesterday, Chua said that this is the first time Malaysia has been invited to participate in the event. She disclosed that the main organizers from Malaysia to coordinate with the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Council are the Yayasan Kesenian Orang Asli and Malaysia-Taiwan Trade and Economic Association (Culture Bureau).

?We also have the support of the Malaysia Tourism Board and Sabah Tourism Board,? said Chua, who is also Yayasan Kesenian Orang Asli secretary.

?We are privileged to be invited to the global event to showcase to the world the music and dances of KadazanDusun Murut community from Sabah as well as the cultural diversity of Malaysia,? she added.

According to Chua, Malaysia is among the nine countries in the event. The others are host Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, USA (Hawaii), Chile, Fiji, Tahiti and Swaziland.

Chua stressed that the event is an opportunity for cultural exchange and integration among the participants.

?Cultural values and heritage should be preserved for the benefit of future generations as this will ensure the continuity of each indigenous peoples? identity. It will also be interesting to learn about the similarities among the Austranesian indigenous groups,? she said, adding that this is an opportunity to build friendship and strengthen bonds for a peaceful

world.

The delegation hopes to promote Malaysia as an indigenous peoples tourism destination in view of the high number of indigenous groups and cultural diversity in the country.

(Source from The Borneo Post,?July 28, 2016, Thursday)

PENAMPANG: The Hongkod Koisaan 10K Run was dominated by Kenyan James Karanja and John Njihia when both runners took the first and second places of the men?s open category.

After being flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan at the KDCA building at 6.20 am yesterday, 25-year-old James took only 32 minutes to finish the 10-kilometre track, followed by John a few minutes later.

The duo, who are residing in Kuala Lumpur, had flown to Kota Kinabalu only on Saturday just to take part in the race.

?I found out about this race from the website so I came here with John because he participated in similar races in Sabah before,? James said, adding that it is his first time being in Sabah and would not be the last.

Meanwhile, the women?s open category was won by SUKMA 2006 Racewalking athlete, Hyenie Roslin Danius, 28, of Penampang.

Competitive by nature and no stranger to long distance runs, she said that this is the first race she participated in since giving birth to her first child a couple of months ago.

?I exercise every day although I am a mother and working at the same time. I normally run after work for an hour every day,? she said, adding that everyone should make time for exercise as health is wealth.

For 45-year-old Kona Liau, who is a seasoned champion of many running events, winning the women?s veteran open category was not a surprise.

When asked for her winning secret, she said that she had been running for 24 years, and still runs every day.

?I grew up in Kampung Dandun, Pitas where there were no roads then, so I?m used to walking and running. Even until now, I run at 3am on weekends, and at 7am on weekdays in between sending my children to school and going to work.

?For those who want to take up running, they must have high discipline and be self-motivated,? she added.

The men?s veteran category was won by Yusop Yungkop.

Winner of each category received a cash prize of RM800 while the other top ten finishers received cash prices and medals as well.

Meanwhile, Pairin said that such activity should be encouraged as it contributes towards the government?s aspiration of having healthy citizens by 2020.

At the same time, he said the run also promotes the spirit of camaraderie and kinship among the participants regardless of their backgrounds.

?I am happy to note that more than 900 people signed up and not less than 850 turned up for the run. This is a remarkable achievement by the event organiser, the KDCA Youth Council committee and Casero Events, considering that this is the council?s first such activity. I hope this run will become a yearly event,? he added.

Also present were KDCA deputy president Datuk Seri Clarence Bongkos Malakun and other KDCA Central Committee members.

Among the sponsors for the event were ITCC, Sejamas Group, KH Shutters, Mandara Spa, WSG Group, Decojuta Developments Sdn Bhd, Tri-Prosper Sdn Bhd and 999 Bar.

(Source from The Borneo Post?July 18, 2016, Monday)

Kota Kinabalu: Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the establishment of the KDCA Youth Council is a very healthy development as it would create more opportunities for KDM youths to engage with one another.

"I think this is something that we should all be very proud of and I am very happy to note that KDCA Youth Council is already moving forward for the sake of the KDM community," he said during a courtesy call made by the KDCA Youth Council led by its President Ceaser Mandela Malakun, here.

Pairin said the youth movement is an essential part of any organisation to mobilise the young people towards the objectives envisioned by the organisation and plays a complementing role to the main organisation. "I would like to encourage you further towards the development of your future programmes.

We will continue to monitor and see how everything can be held together so that whatever your programmes are, they can be made more effective and stronger," he said. During the courtesy call, Pairin also accepted an invitation to flag off the Hongkod Koisaan 10k Run organised by the KDCA Youth Council which will be held at the Hongkod Koisaan on July 17.

The run aims to gather and spread information about what is KDCA, apart from just being the organiser of the Kaamatan celebration. It also aspires to be an international event one day. Among the missions of the run are to promote new business opportunities for locals, showcase KDCA youth local talents, promote youth related activities, create health awareness and make KDCA as a favourite hangout spot.

So far, a total of 928 participants have confirmed their participation. The event is open to the public over four categories, namely Men Open, Men Veteran, Women Open and Women Veteran. Prizes for the winners are RM800 for the champions, RM600 for the first runner-up and RM500 for second runner-up. All winners up to tenth place will receive some cash prizes as well.

According to Ceaser, the KDCA Youth Council was established in October last year focusing on three main areas, namely youth and sports, education and research and business and marketing. "We hope to increase our membership through membership drive programmes and we also want to engage and establish rapport with all the government agencies," he said.

Other than that, Ceaser said the KDCA Youth Council will participate in local and international youth programmes and activities. "We want to create awareness on youth development by encouraging youth participation in relevant government-organised empowerment programmes. This will ensure continuous involvement of Kadazandusun youths in nation building," he said.  

(Source from Daily Express, Sunday, July 17, 2016)