Alena Murang’s second solo album, Sky Songs, continues the mission set out five years ago in her debut, Flight , which is the musical conservation of the endangered traditions and languages of Borneo, something often forgotten in official Malaysian narratives. The Kuala Lumpur-based recording artist – the child of a Kelabit father from the highlands of the Baram River in.
A yearning for home Alena and her trusty sape. - Picture courtesy of Kenny Loh Alena performing at the Colours of Ostrava Festival in 2019. - Picture courtesy of Tomas Parkan
NOTHING makes the heart yearn for home more than travel. When Alena Murang took the songs of the Dayak Kelabit and Kenyah to foreign lands around the world, her heart longed for the dense jungle, the rushing rapids, the longhouses, and the people of her ancestral home along the Baram River in Sarawak.
Alena usually performs alongside her bandmates – co-writer Joshua Maran who plays the guitar, Jonathan Wong who is also on guitar, bassist Herman Ramanado, and drummer Jimmy Chong.
Listen to Alena Murang’s newest song about missing home, Meno’ 05 Feb 2021 / 13:54 H.
Sape’ songstress Alena Murang releases a new single and music video Meno’, a nostalgic lament of home, missing the longhouse and the people.
Alena, a descendant of the Dayak Kelabit people of the Baram river in Sarawak, recalls the days of the past when her ancestors used to make long journeys from the highlands to the coast of Miri to trade.
They went by long boat through the rapids, and up through the dense jungle, sleeping at villages or in the jungle on the way. It was at times like these they would sing “belian meno’ ” (wistful songs), a type of graceful song of yearning Meno’, in Kenyah language, is an emotion of yearning, thinking of something or someone that is not there.
Thursday, 10 Dec 2020 01:18 PM MYT
BY SULOK TAWIE
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said any who are given the power to govern the state must be fair and just to all the different communities. Bernama pic
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KUCHING, Dec 10 ― Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg stressed today that the Malay leadership in the state government is fair to all ethnic groups in Sarawak.
He said since the time of Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’Kub as the chief minister, the Malay leadership has consistently emphasised the state’s interests over that of a specific community.
Cultural performer Asfazlinawaty Ismandy looking at an artist s impression of the proposed Wisma Melayu project in Kuching. ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: The state government has adopted a Sarawak-centric approach in its policies in order to be fair to all ethnic groups, says Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The Chief Minister said no race or ethnic group would be favoured over another as everyone deserves equal treatment. We want to be fair to all. Melanau, Bidayuh, Iban - all are Sarawakians.Even if the state government s leadership is helmed by the Malays, we will be Sarawak-centric, he said.
He said this at the earth-breaking ceremony for the proposed Wisma Melayu at Jalan Diplomatik here on Thursday (Dec 10).