Seven powerful initiatives of the heritage of Old Kuching

KUCHING, Sept 22: Sarawak launches seven public initiatives to strengthen conservation, documentation, community participation and long-term management of the built heritage and living heritage in 'Old Kuching'.

Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that development should not be separated from the community and cultural identity of Sarawak.

"Real development cannot happen in isolation from our communities or our rich cultural heritage", he said in a statement after inaugurating the Heritage Future: Voices of Old Kuching program in Kuching, yesterday.

The program is organized by Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHE) in collaboration with the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts (MTCP) in cooperation with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

The seven initiatives are the Heritage Track Series on Old Kuching, the Community-based Mini Heritage Exhibition, the Short Video and Photography Competition of Old Kuching, the Heritage Publishing and Book Release Series, Youth Hackathon: Heritage Preservation and Conservation, the Technical Workshop on Heritage and Climate Change with North Kuching City Council (DBKU), as well as Heritage Masterclass and Training of Trainers.

According to the Heritage Future: Voices of Old Kuching Secretariat, all these initiatives are designed as a support program for the 22nd ICOMOS Scientific Assembly and Symposium 2026 which will be held in Kuching from 17 to 24 October.

It also aims to ensure that the benefits of the international conference's sponsorship can be passed on to the "Old Kuching" community and area.

The program brought together the local authorities, Sarawak Museum Department, Kuching Residential Office, TV Sarawak (TVS), ICOMOS Malaysia, Association of Malaysian Architects (PAM), Swinburne University of Technology Campus Sarawak, Sarawak Heritage Society, community leaders and youth groups.

According to Abdul Karim, cooperation between policymakers, researchers and local stakeholders is essential to ensure that conservation efforts produce lasting impacts.

"As policymakers, researchers and local stakeholders move together, we move from mere planning to meaningful and lasting impact", he said.

'Old Kuching' encompasses various historical and identity layers of Sarawak society including traditional Malay villages along the Sarawak River, historic Brooke and British era buildings, multi-religious houses of worship, museums, old storehouses, markets as well as communities in the Main Bazaar area, Carpenter Street, India Street, Gambier Street and Upper China Street.

The programme is expected to strengthen the written and digital heritage records, community knowledge, professional skills and youth engagement to ensure that 'Old Kuching' continues to be a living heritage city. - TVS