Sarawak Youth Peace Culture Festival: Intergenerational Collaboration, Unity of Youth through Inheriting the Culture of Peace

On 21 December 2025, SGM Sarawak held the Youth Peace Culture Festival at its culture centre. Watched by an audience of 900, the 240 performers and event staff put on a powerful display of youthful vitality and unity. 

The festival kicked off with a thunderous performance by 15 young drummers on the 24-festive drums. The programme continued with a rich tapestry of rhythms and colours: graceful Chinese dance, high-energy modern dance and elegant traditional performances. The event concluded with a grand choral finale of “Eternal Journey with Sensei.” Performed by members of the junior, youth, men’s and women’s divisions, the festival was a perfect demonstration of intergenerational cultural inheritance and seamless teamwork.

Hee Shing Ying, who travelled from Brunei, shared that she was most moved by the unity and hard work of the performers, noting that the 24-festive drums performance was particularly soul-stirring. She believes that peace begins with oneself and involves nurturing the next generation, encouraging them to participate in SGM activities and stay engaged with peace-related issues.

Attending an SGM event for the first time, Adeline Chai Chen Chen initially expected a simple performance, but was pleasantly surprised by the professional production, seamless coordination between the onstage and backstage teams, and how closely the programme adhered to the theme of peace. As a 24-festive drums coach herself, she acknowledged the challenges of training across different age groups, and emphasised that youth should let peace take root in their hearts, and use creativity to create resonance and influence society.

Behind-the-Scenes Efforts Make Every Onstage Moment Shine 

On the morning of the festival, event staff and performers arrived at the venue one after another, each attending to their duties: testing sound and lights, rehearsing positions, organising costumes and props, and handling hair and makeup. The venue buzzed with energy. Amid the hustle and bustle, the faint sound of chanting could be heard, adding a sense of warmth and anticipation. It was during these moments of silent preparation that everyone exemplified the spirit of “many in body, one in mind,” supporting one another and laying a solid, moving foundation for the festival’s success.

Ng Kha Shuen, the coach for the 24-festive drums performance, shared that the performance was diverse and involved participants of all ages, with many performers diligently fulfilling multiple roles. As a coach, she was most gratified to see her team progress from zero experience to taking the stage in just six months, and mastering a new drumming style within two. Despite the large age gaps, they achieved seamless chemistry through mutual respect, patient guidance and repeated practice. She believes that exposing youth to positive messages of peace helps them discern right from wrong and expresses her commitment to involving more people in the future.

Reported by Angella Chang, Jacqueline Chang and Sophia Tan, photographed by Alan Chua, Amelia Lee and Jody Jee