GEORGE TOWN, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- Taiwan's rich indigenous heritage took centre stage at the George Town Festival (GTF) 2026 at Dewan Sri Pinang here today, with traditional music, dance and indigenous-inspired cuisine offering audiences an immersive experience of the island's diverse cultural traditions.
Held in conjunction with the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the programme featured the Malaysian debut of the Formosa Indigenous Song & Dance Troupe (FISDT), which presented The Rainbow Bridge and Ocean Chants, blending the traditional music and dance of the Truku and Amis peoples.
Ahead of the performance, the 2026 International Tour of Taiwan Gourmet Cuisine, organised by Taiwan's Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), also featured a culinary booth showcasing indigenous-inspired desserts and a live cooking demonstration.
Cultural Division director at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, Yu Chen Wen, said Taiwan was honoured to collaborate with GTF again, particularly on an occasion celebrating indigenous communities worldwide.
"This time, we are so honoured to be invited and to cooperate with the GTF again. We bring the indigenous people's dancing and singing troupe to the festival and it coincides with the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, so for us it is very exciting," she told Bernama today.
Yu said the programme also featured an indigenous chef who introduced his cultural heritage through food using ingredients traditionally associated with Taiwan's indigenous communities.
She said highlights included indigenous-inspired desserts such as Maqaw Lemon Winter Melon Jelly and Millet Churros, prepared by Seediq chef Chiang Hsin-Yi and assistant chef Lu Wei-Sung.
"These ingredients belong to the indigenous people of Taiwan. The chef uses them to create very creative, new-style food while retaining the essence of indigenous cuisine," she said.
She said this was the chef's first participation in the George Town Festival, providing an opportunity to share Taiwan's indigenous culinary heritage with local and international visitors.
The culinary experience was also attended by Taiwan's Ambassador to Malaysia Lien Yu-Ping and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who visited the booth and took part in the indigenous dessert tasting.
Yu said the combination of food, music and dance offered audiences a different avenue to understand indigenous culture beyond conventional performances.
She said Taiwan hoped such cultural exchanges would strengthen people-to-people ties while allowing Malaysian audiences to discover the diversity and uniqueness of its indigenous traditions.
Meanwhile, Chow said GTF 2026 had achieved its target of 200,000 visitors over its nine-day duration, with 48 programmes featuring local and international arts practitioners.
He said the encouraging response reflected the growing appeal of the international arts and cultural event.
GTF 2026, now in its 17th edition, featured artists and performing groups from several countries, including Spain, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Germany and South Korea.
"The organisers expected a turnout of up to 200,000 visitors to watch various performances, and according to them, that figure has been achieved given the good response throughout the nine days of the George Town Festival," he said.
He added that preparations for the 18th edition had already begun, as certain performances require a long lead time to identify and prepare with the teams involved.
Meanwhile, GTF executive director Dr Ang Ming Chee said the organisers were extremely satisfied with this year's response, particularly the participation of families and children in various programmes.
She said the high visitor turnout demonstrated GTF's growing success in attracting tourists, while serving as a platform to strengthen interpersonal connections through creativity and the arts.
"Programmes held in open spaces and the Wayang Pacak (outdoor film screening) at Cheah Kongsi were among the events that received a good response. Besides encouraging interaction among the community and visitors, we hope this creativity will reach the community and attract more tourists to Penang," she said.
-- BERNAMA