Musician Saufi Aiman Yahya has made Malaysia proud by bagging four gold medals in the 21st World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in the United States.

The 27-year-old from Kuching, Sarawak, took the first spot in the Jazz, Contemporary, Classical/Traditional and Open categories.

“It has always been a dream of mine to represent Malaysia at an international level, let alone win these medals," Saufi told Malaysiakini.

He also won three “Champion of the World” titles in the Jazz, Contemporary, and Classical/Traditional categories, as well as a silver medal in the Original Works category.

Also known as the “Talent Olympics”, WCOPA is an international competition for aspiring performers and entertainers and is held annually in Long Beach, California.

Fourteen local talents, including Saufi, took part in the event, which was held from June 30 to July 9 this year.

Saufi admitted that the competition had been challenging and he credited his win to the uniqueness of his musical instrument of choice, the sape, and his playing abilities.

“It was a tough competition. I assume that the sape instrument, alongside my ability to play, made me stand out," he said.

The sape (pronounced 'sa-peh') is a traditional instrument of the Kenyah people, who are indigenous to Sarawak.

Saufi said he had wanted to enter the competition to reach his maximum potential, and also to boost his overall confidence.

He drew inspiration and motivation from compatriot Jerry Kamit, who won a gold medal at WCOPA together with his band, Tuku Kame, in 2009.

“I wanted to be on par with Jerry Kamit as I look up to him," said Saufi. 

Asked about his reasons for taking up the sape, he said, “I chose the sape because I saw the similarities it had with a guitar, except that it originated from my hometown.”

Saufi, who majored in guitar at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), recalled how it had taken him seven years to master the sape.

“Success does not happen overnight, hence one needs constant patience and passion,” he said.

Saufi is currently a member of the KL Sape Collective, and runs his own company, Sape' Star, which provides sape lessons and sells the instrument.

He noted with concern that traditional instruments were losing their place in the music industry.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping traditional musical instruments alive, in addition to bringing attention to them at an international level.

“I hope that more individuals will take a liking and appreciation towards traditional instruments as much as I do,” said Saufi.