Charity concert in Kuching achieves astounding success

KUCHING (Dec 10): A charity concert ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother’ (Volume 2) that took place at Cafe Cafe, Jalan Rubber here on Dec 3 achieved an astounding success.

Organised by a group of well-wishers, the charity concert raised funds for the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS), Penan Women’s Project and Kuching Food Aid.

“Together with the generous support from the community, the organisers were able to raise RM21,000 and donate RM7,000 to each of the mentioned organisations,” said the organising committee in a recent statement.

The event was led by Mike Lim, Olivia Ling and Sahil Dev along with various humble artists, musicians and crew who contributed through showcasing their talents for the audience.

“The stage showcased incredible Sarawak talents and artists who contributed 20 pieces of art for sale on the evening with 50 per cent of proceeds going directly to the three meaningful charities,” said the statement.

The evening was graced by At Adau, an independent ethnic fusion band from Sarawak.

Other performers included the Zephyr Bellydancers, led by Kimmie, Mel, and Lydia; Gena Sim, accompanied by Eugene Suboh on piano; Tupi Itam, a dynamic three-piece band with a diverse musical background, was enriched by Harun’s soulful vocals and keyboard artistry, Suhardi’s skilled guitar work, and Zaid’s rhythmic expertise on percussion and saxophone.

Singer Michael King also showcased his exceptional talent at the event.

There was also MaDa, a delightful musical collaboration that featured the dynamic duo of Mama and Daughter namely Leatrice Chai, and Yap Chiew Phin.

Besides, Alfonso Alphonse Balan, also known as Simple Rhythm Guy, formerly of the Simple Rhythm Band brought his enduring passion for music to the stage.

A seven-year-old dance prodigy who is inspired by traditional dance videos on YouTube, Dion Das’ incredible performance on the night earned him ‘The Little Warrior’ title.

Event chief operations officer Poh Guan Huat said: “We are glad to have this opportunity and hope that we really were able to make a difference to our society.

“This event, in truly a Sarawakian spirit, was a collective effort of good samaritans from our society who come from all backgrounds, races and religions to help the needy.”

He added: “We hope we have the opportunity to host this event in the future as well and the credit of its success must go to the hardworking organising committee led by Mike Lim, Olivia Ling and Sahil Dev.”

“Furthermore, we are extremely proud of the work that we achieved. Even if we make only one per cent change to our society, we as a team are fully driven to carry out this event in 2024 for its third edition as well. As the saying goes, whoever saves one life saves the world entire,” concluded Poh.