Traditional Performing Arts Festival

Preface

This is only a concept paper, intended to elicit comments and support. It is not a planning document and does not contain details. This will come later.

Brief Proposal

If Penang is to make a mark on the arts scene, it must find a niche which is both unique and original. The Penang Jazz Festival or the World Music Festival are great events which we all enjoy, but no matter how well these are staged, Penang will always be regarded as a follower and not obtain the recognition that it wants.

The Penang Performing Arts Festival will be original and unique and as far as we know no other city in the region is doing it.

Some Working Definitions

For the purpose of this paper, traditional performing arts (TPA) are any performances based on the heritage and culture of indigenous peoples, acted by one or more persons with costumes and props and accompanied by music. Contemporary presentations based on or inspired by TPAs are included.

The TPAs will be drawn from the ASEAN region and will include those from South India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South China (to reflect our diverse origins).

Proposal

The proposal is to stage an annual TPAs Festival which will showcase and promote the traditional performing arts of Asia. Most of these arts are disappearing and are not easily accessible to the average person.

Such an event will be unique and no other city or country in the region is doing it.

In addition to performances the festival will also hold workshops, seminars and conferences. It can also promote traditional foods, clothes, trades and crafts.

Justification

• It can become the flagship tourism and cultural event.
• In time it will make us a world centre of heritage, culture and tradition.
• It will attract the best type of tourists than any of our current annual events.
• The new government will want to do something original, so timing is good.
• It will reinforce our status as a World Heritage Site, if we get it.
• It will reinforce our role as a regional centre.
• The Tourism Ministry ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ tagline jells with the concept.

Conclusions

• It will be a unique event that will promote and preserve our arts.
• It will establish our position as a regional centre and raise its profile.
• Bring in better quality tourists.
• Reinforce our image as a centre of heritage, culture and education.

If properly executed and promoted, within 5 years it will be on the calendar of every international heritage and culture group and be known as the event to be at if you want to see Asian traditional performing arts.

What Is Needed To Support The Arts - Action Plan

Click on the images below to enlarge.

Towards A Memorandum On The Arts In Penang

TOWARDS A MEMORANDUM ON THE ARTS IN PENANG

(Draft for discussion)

Penang’s Cultural Assets

• Traditional multiethnic historical communities. So culturally diverse, each community in Penang still maintains its own traditions, performing arts and crafts.
• Tradition of street culture. Penang is enlivened by celebrations, festivals, theatre, traders and hawkers of different ethnic groups.
• Tradition of visual arts. Penang is home to significant pioneers of modern painting (watercolour, oil and batik) in Malaysia and Singapore. They include Syed Hossein Enas, Yong Mun Sen, Kuo Ju Ping, Khaw Sia, Lee Joo For, Chuah Thean Teng, Abdullah Ariff and Tan Choon Ghee.
• Penang’s growing contemporary scene. Penang’s lively performing arts scene is exemplified in various pop and marching bands, 2 symphony orchestras, many choirs, theatre and dance groups. Numerous art galleries have emerged showcasing a new generation of artists while giving tribute to the old masters.
• Penang’s homegrown ‘stars’ - Penang has produced internationally-known performers, artists and poets in the country (They Dennis Lee/pianist, Chuah Thean Teng/artist, Mohd. Haji Salleh/poet, Cecil Rajendra/poet, P Ramlee/film maker and actor, Ah Gu/pop singer).

Why Support the Arts – New Source of Growth for Penang

• Positive Impact on Young People. The arts provide a sense of identity, promote cross-cultural interaction, and keep the young away from unhealthy activities.
• New ideas for a New Generation. The arts foster a creative space for open dialogue for cutting edge ideas and encourage social and political expression.
• Arts and Tourism. Development of a lively local arts scene can generate new economic activities that support the tourism and service industries and contribute towards a local cultural industry.
• Arts and Local Economy. A local cultural industry will provide more opportunities for work and self-expression for professional musicians/dancers/dramatists/visual artists and reverse the brain drain of young artistes to bigger cities. Many Penang young musicians and performers move to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and even Taiwan which have better cultural infrastructure, facilities and audiences and where they can make a living.
• Arts and Beyond. A place which is culturally vibrant can attract professionals in other fields who in turn can contribute to Penang’s economic productivity.

Issues and Problems Regarding the Arts

1. Cultural infrastructure is essential for the growth of the arts in Penang. In 1998, Penang had 5 dedicated performance halls with sound system, lighting, raked seating, full-time technicians, acoustics and air-conditioning. Other venues included school halls, multipurpose halls, clubs and hotels.

In 2008 (after 10 years), the number of dedicated performance halls in Penang has increased to 8. Only three are state-owned (Dewan Sri Pinang, Town Hall, Kompleks P. Ramlee). Amateur groups have little opportunity to use such performance venues for performances because of the high cost of rental, last minute cancellations of bookings for state functions and over-use of the halls.

In particular, the newly renovated Town Hall which has an excellent medium-sized performance hall has been inaccessible to NGO’s because of high rental rates and conditions imposed (see attachment for information on performance venues).

Amateur groups also have no access to REHEARSAL SPACES which are lacking in Penang. Such spaces will enable amateur groups in Penang to rehearse on a regular basis.

2. Regulations, Entertainment Tax and Management of the Arts. In order to be able to put up a public performance with ticketing in Penang, groups need to get PERMITS from the city council (performance license), police (permit for performance and road block), fire brigade (security) and the tax department (deposit for entertainment tax). Documents that need to be submitted include synopses of play, names of all performers and location map.

The whole process of having to wait at various departments to seek approval for any performance is a deterrent.

Amateur groups also find it difficult to put down the deposit for entertainment tax (amounting to 20% of all tickets printed).

3. Dissemination of Information. There is no information centre in Penang where local audiences and tourists can find out about performances and other cultural activities as well as to buy tickets. Without a centralized centre for the dissemination of information regarding arts events, performance groups and art galleries find it difficult to coordinate their performance or exhibition dates.

An Arts and Culture Information counter service was set up in the late 1990’s at Dewan Sri Pinang. The counter ran a WEBSITE with information about arts and cultural events in Penang. Funding for the counter has been withdrawn.

4. Arts Events and Festivals are important platforms for diverse multicultural groups (local/ foreign, mainstream/experimental) to perform and showcase their artworks. Arts festivals which feature foreign artistes will be able to attract larger audiences including tourists and provide exposure for local ones. At the same time, local troupes (which normally entertain their own ethnic communities) will have the opportunity to reach wider crossover audiences.

At the moment, there is a Penang Jazz Festival and The World Music Festival (which comprises groups performing at the Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival). Local traditional and contemporary performing artists of Penang have limited opportunities to perform at such festivals while local visual artists are not featured at all.

5. Cultural Exchange and Training that cuts across race are crucial to promote interethnic interaction among artists and to raise the standard of the arts in Penang. Such programs which are lacking could pave the way towards the creation of a Bangsa Malaysia.

What is Needed to Support the Arts - Action

1. Lower and standardize the rental rates of performance and rehearsal spaces in state-owned buildings for amateur arts groups. These include Dewan Sri Pinang, P. Ramlee Auditorium and the Town Hall.
2. Make accessible all public spaces such youth centres (eg. Pusat Belia Pulau Pinang, Lebuh Acheh) to all arts groups.
3. Abolish the Entertainment Tax for ticketed performances.
4. Create a CULTURAL HUB stretching between Dewan Sri Pinang, Townhall, Padang Kota and Fort Cornwallis (see maps attached).

This hub will have:

a) performance venues, rehearsal spaces, galleries, museums, an arts library, cafes, restaurants, and bookstore in one space*;

b) indoor and outdoor performances, visual arts and crafts exhibitions, regular arts workshops and other cultural activities carried out on a regular basis;

c) professional lighting and sound systems for theatre productions, good acoustics, raked seating, trained lighting and sound technicians who can cater to local and foreign troupes.

d) a One-Stop-Centre for the application of licenses, booking of venues, administrating performance/rehearsal spaces, security, maintenance.

e) an Arts and Culture Information Counter Service which provides the calendar of cultural events in the state, sells tickets for cultural events and runs a website.

f) different types of membership created (eg. endowments - state and private, corporate partners, corporate sponsors, ordinary members) and season tickets sold so that a theatre/arts community can be established;

g) special billboards to advertise the cultural activities in the hub.

*Dewan Sri Pinang and the Town Hall have empty spaces and rooms which could be converted to smaller theatres, black boxes or rehearsal spaces. Outdoor and community performances can be held at the field. Fort Cornwallis or pavement by the sea front.

5. Support a Penang Arts Festival, educational activities and cultural exchange programs to promote the development of visual and performing arts based on the spirit of Penang’s historic multicultural legacy.

6. Set up an Arts Council or Action Committee comprising active members from the arts community to help the state monitor, network and manage the arts scene in Penang.

Attachments: (1) List of state-owned and cultural venues, youth centres, public spaces and art galleries. (2) site map of cultural hub.

Public Libraries

FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Updated 23 April 2008

DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN PENANG

“The Public Library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision- making and cultural development of the individual and social groups.”

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions(IFLA)/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, 1995

A Public Library which is well endowed with a range of print and digital information resources and that provides a range of services for all communities, is a powerful force for education and culture. It is ideally suited to this purpose as it is an institution that is open to all peoples of the state irrespective of age, gender, race, social status, religious affiliation, and citizenship status. It also caters for all members of the community irrespective of their personal skills and abilities.

Besides providing an environment that will excite its community to learn throughout their lives, the Public Library also engages with the community in promoting knowledge and awareness of its cultural heritage, and appreciation of the community arts and culture. It also works with other agencies including government departments, the business community and the many non-government organization in the state. It actively engages, partners and networks with all these groups to carry out programs that will enhance the creation of a civil society in the State.

The Public Library in Penang whose early beginnings date back to the year 1817, is the oldest public library in the region and was incorporated as the Penang Public Library Board when State Enactment no 2, was passed by the State Legislative Assembly on 13 June 1972.

It has over the years built up an extensive network of more than 100 service points where services are delivered through a Central Library in Seberang Jaya, branch libraries in Georgetown, Balik Pulau, Jawi, Bukit Mertajam and the Children’s Library in Scotland Road, 2 town libraries in Bagan Ajam and Simpang Empat, mall libraries in KOMTAR and the Mayang Mall in Bayan Baru, and more than 80 village/cyber community libraries located throughout the island and the mainland. In addition it has 11 mobile libraries, two of which are dedicated to services to the disadvantaged (orang kurang upaya). These mobile libraries make stops at about 220 locations throughout the state of Penang on a fortnightly cycle.

One of the key objectives of the State Public Library is creating and strengthening the reading habits of its citizenship. Presently it has a program called “Every Baby a Book” to inculcate a love for learning and reading from birth. The program is an expression of the United Nation’s Convention on The Rights of the Child (1989) that stresses among other rights, the right of every child to the development of his or her full potential.

The program, launched in July 2007, is based on very attractive cloth book, also entitled “Every Baby a Book”, which is used as a basis of a state - wide campaign to educate parents and caregivers about the value of interacting with babies through reading. The program targets babies from the time they begin their existence in this world and who, as they grow up will all become the, practitioners, and preservationists of the civil society we wish to evolve and perpetuate. In short, they will be making and living our dreams of everything good that we want for Penang.

The core messages of the “Every Baby A Book” program are

· Babies have unlimited learning potential and a tremendous capacity to learn.

· Reading provides the context during which this learning occurs.

· This group needs more attention to their education from their parents/caregivers

· Libraries with children collections provide suitable environments for this group

For the future I would like to see the State government:

1. Give greater support to and actively engage in the development of public libraries, especially in the poorer areas of the State, by providing sufficient funding and human resources for their expansion.

2. Actively use and promote the wide network of libraries in the state as centers of community - oriented activities, including cultural activities.

3. Ensure that a copy of all important Penang government documents, especially unpublished reports, is deposited to the State Public Library for research and reference purposes.

4. Upgrade the libraries at community buildings such as the Batu Lanchang, Bayan Baru and the Taman Tun Sardon markets and at Tanjung Bunga and Rifle Range which presently come under the jurisdiction of the Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang.

5. Support the learning journey of every new born baby in the state by proving a budget every year to produce the Every Baby a Book cloth book and present the book as a “welcome to this world” gift to the Penang-born babies who are our future.

Updated 23 April 2008

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