Designed to complement and enrich the Rainforest World Music Festival, the event will share the same venue at the Sarawak Cultural Village, about 40 minutes' drive from Kuching.
The Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar will be opened by First Lady Datuk Amar Laila Taib on Thursday. The international participants will spread their artistic wares and don colourful traditional garb for the occasion.
A small city of tents is springing up at the Cultural Village, ready to house the Crafts Bazaar.
The arts and crafts of Sarawak, Sabah and West Malaysia will be showcased to music fans from all parts of the world. Craftsmen and women from Korea, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, India, the USA, Denmark and Indonesia will spread their wares for the discerning public.
Sarawak's and Sabah's own craftspeople are looking forward to interacting with their international colleagues. Mat-plaiters, basket-makers, woodcarvers, weavers, beadworkers and potters have been honing their traditional skills for centuries. Nowadays, they produce things of use and beauty for the market.
The bazaar will end on July 15. On July 11-13, only holders of a Rainforest World Music Festival pass can enter the village. But on July 9, 10, 14 and 15, visitors pay only RM15 to enter the Crafts Bazaar and other parts of the village. The normal village entrance fee is RM25. A banquet of music and art is being prepared in the Rainforest World - don't miss it!
