Miri eyes recognition as Unesco City of Literature

KUCHING: The Sarawak government has set its sights on Miri attaining recognition as a UNESCO City of Literature within a year.

The upcoming Sarawak Literature Festival 2026, in this instance, will serve as one of the platforms to realise this aspiration.

Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the target would, however, depend on the smooth preparation of the nomination dossier.

“More or less, we are quite confident it can be achieved within a year, depending on how active the team involved is in preparing the dossier and liaising with the relevant parties in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

He said this during a press conference after receiving a courtesy visit from the Sarawak Literature Festival 2026 and the Miri Aspiration to become a UNESCO City of Literature delegation here Tuesday (Sept 8).

Abdul Karim said the nomination could not be submitted directly by the state government as UNESCO recognition involves member states and must be submitted through the relevant authorities at the federal level.

He revealed that previous efforts to secure UNESCO recognition for Niah as a World Heritage Site and Kuching as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy also involved processes that required a certain period of time.

“Obtaining recognition as a World Heritage Site is indeed difficult and takes a long time. But for gastronomy and literature, the process is easier,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said the Sarawak Literature Festival 2026 could serve as an important momentum in Miri’s journey towards securing recognition as a UNESCO City of Literature.

He said the festival should be properly documented, including aspects such as community participation, youth involvement, collaboration among various stakeholders, programme diversity, international participation and the impact generated.

Abdul Karim said Miri had its own strengths to be highlighted in the nomination, including its status as a multiracial city and gateway to northern Sarawak.

“Miri has diverse communities, languages, traditions and stories. It also has institutions and strategic partners such as Miri City Council, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, universities, schools, writers, publishers, cultural organisations and community groups,” he said.

He said these strengths should form the basis of Miri’s nomination.

He added that attention should also be given to preserving and promoting Sarawak’s languages and literary traditions, including documenting stories that continue to be passed down through oral traditions and community memory.

“We need to encourage more of these stories to be documented, translated and published so that they can be preserved for future generations.

“At the same time, we also need to encourage young writers to produce new works that reflect Sarawak today while maintaining a connection with our heritage,” he said.

He said recognition as a UNESCO City of Literature could also open opportunities for Miri to collaborate with other Creative Cities internationally.

The Sarawak Literature Festival 2026 is scheduled to take place in Miri from September 23-27, bringing together writers, publishers, educators, libraries, students, cultural practitioners and creative industry players.

Abdul Karim said the festival was not merely a book-related event, but also a platform for knowledge that could introduce Sarawak’s works, languages, traditions and community knowledge to a wider audience.