22 hingga 24 April 2011. Tarikh berlangsungnya satu lagi acara tahunan di negeri Sabah, iaitu Regatta Lepa. Jika di KK sana ada pesta menuai, di Tawau sinun ada Festival Kebudayaan, nah di Semporna sini ada Regatta Lepa. (Bilakah Lahad Datu akan mempunyai acara tahunan?)...........................
Gambar-gambar adalah dari malam perasmian pada 22 april 2011. Padang dipenuhi manusia. Meriah. Terbukti penduduk dari dalam dan luar semporna datang untuk memberi sokongan dan memeriahkan.

Pentas. Sangat indah dan luas. Kukuh dan eksklusif. Sound system pula boleh dibanggakan. Jika anda merupakan seorang ibu mengandung dan berdiri di sebelah pembesar suara, bayi anda mungkin akan terus lahir secara mengejut di tempat kejadian. Maveles!
Malam perasmian Regatta Lepa 2011 dihiasi dengan pertandingan tarian tradisional dan moden. Penyertaan amatlah memberangsangkan. Beberapa kumpulan cuba mengadu nasib dengan mempersembahkan bakat masing-masing. Bermacam-macam tarian, termasuklah shuffle, tarian kebudayaan masyarakat Bajau, break dance, owh dan tidak lupa juga tarian artis korea dari sekumpulan remaja ‘lawa’.
Dari segi pengurusan majlis, dari apa yang dapat kami perhatikan, semuanya ok. KECUALI, kurangnya petugas untuk mengawal penonton yang hadir.

Kebanyakan penonton yang berada di saf hadapan tidak duduk, sebaliknya berdiri sehingga mengakibatkan penonton di bahagian belakang tidak dapat melihat dengan jayanya. Hanya bontot yang kelihatan, sedangkan persembahan bontot tidak termasuk dalam tentatif program.

Dua layar besar yang disediakan juga nampaknya tidak digunakan sepenuhnya kerana jurukamera hanya tiba di pertengahan majlis................
 

Sudir Suichi
http://sudirsuichi.blogspot.com

VISITOR NOTES :
A Clean Semporna - Semporna District Council has done a good job in ensuring the cleaningness of Semporna during the 2 days. Street swippers were seen at main streets and road maintaining the roads free of litters.
During the lepa-lepa competition, a Trash-Boat stroll the water front to collect floating plastic trash on the sea.
Its also time for youth to show off their talents. Singing and dancing talent contests attracted all visitors.
At night, the Semporna Umno Youth Chief, Jamman Hj Mohd Azis, has announced the winners of the young talent-3 Tawau FM, sister Nurul Farhana, who is from Semporna is the adopted son of the Semporna Umno Youth with learning and scholarship guarantee his singing career.
Plenty of Food & drink stalls. Food stalls is everywhere selling burgers, keropok, snack, rice, Soto, Java foods and local household foods.
Booth exhibition during Lepa-Lepa Regatta 2011
Exhibition booth from government agencies and government departments in extending assistance to the people of Semporna in improving socio-economic status.
Many booths carry out interesting activities such as lucky draw, colouring contests, quizzes
Participating in LEPA competition are also LEPA from University Malaysia Sabah and MARA
Most of the LEPA are from village leaders/heads.

The small port behind Hotel Seafest accommodate tens of thousands of visitors, including VIP.
RTM broadcast live on the festival.
This Annual Regatta Lepa Festival raise the Bajau culture and heritage to a higher level
Regatta Lepa Festival which showcased characteristics of the Bajau culture not only had high esthetic values, but was also marked in the national tourism calendar as an annual tourism event.


Closing ceremony of the 18th Regatta Lepa was attended by 40,000 people including some tourists.

Sabah counts its unique multi-cultural population and heritage as a major asset in efforts to woo more tourists to the state
Visitors from all over the world were enthralled by Sabah's breathtaking natural attractions like Mount Kinabalu and Sipadan island.
 

The fastival also held the launching of the  book titled "Cultural and Arts History of the Bajau Semporna Community", written by a group of researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), headed by UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr Kamaruzzaman Ampong and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Assoc Prof Dr Hj Kassim Mansur