Dear Nancy, you got it wrong - it is not 'easy' for the arts

After eight years of being involved actively in the performing arts industry through my own production house, I recently joined Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac). Having previously collaborated with penangpac in many theatre productions, I am quite aware of their struggle.

A few weeks upon joining the performing arts centre, the movement control order (MCO) was declared. Many events, shows, classes and workshops that were scheduled to take place in penangpac were postponed.

As MCO moved from one phase to another, everyone realised this pandemic was not going to be a short term crisis. And so, everything that was initially postponed in penangpac began to be cancelled. The loss from the cancellation alone reached almost RM120,000.

Being a non-profit organisation, penangpac never really made money to begin with. We have always struggled with losses from year to year – but it has never stopped us from contributing to the community.

Despite losses, penangpac has always continued to provide free outreach programmes to public schools and offer collaboration opportunities to those who would otherwise have no opportunities to showcase their talents.

Healing society during crisis

While penangpac weighs in measures to take during this crisis, we have remained active in the eyes of the public. We have recently organised “The Corona Diaries”, a nine-day series of monologues and short films produced by our friends from the performing arts community in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Penangpac has also been busy organising video interviews and publishing Q&A series featuring key performing arts players in Penang besides sharing previous shows staged in our theatre on our social media platforms.

Those participating in our social media activities do not receive any monetary returns. Not the actors, writers, directors, producers, orchestra master, nor the musicians. This time, like the many times before, everyone did it for free simply because they wanted to take part in something good for society.

Never mind that their shows, events, concerts, exhibitions and orchestras are cancelled and they will not be making any money for as long as the Covid-19 crisis continues, these practitioners of arts do not mind putting in some effort to help the society heal in this time.

We, the people of the performing arts, do all this and more, not because “it is easy for us in the arts to adapt to the current situation” as claimed by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri. We do it for one reason and one reason only - to empower society.

The arts enrich society

For many shallow-minded people, the arts may be seen as merely providing entertainment. The truth is, the arts teach us a lot about the core component of what makes us human – the desire to express ourselves.

It broadens the perspectives of life beyond the daily grind. It expands our personal space. It teaches us how to express ourselves and educate ourselves about the world we live in.

It is a little dose of humanity, it revitalises the human spirit and provides a mechanism for change. It helps us to look outside our own little space, to understand others and the lives of others, their emotions, their culture, their beliefs and their perceptions of the world we live in, together.

Yes, the arts play a key role in enriching society.

Sadly, the society we are dedicated to enriching is led by a minister who is oblivious to our contribution towards the progress of our nation.

Arts and tourism

I understand Nancy has the tourism industry close to her heart. Unfortunately what she does not know is the fact that supporting the arts industry can in turn strengthen her beloved tourism industry as well.

Why? Because arts attract tourism.

Last year, in our little island of Penang, 90 percent of hotels were occupied by some 300,000 tourists who came for the George Town Festival 2019, an annual event showcasing a variety of arts and cultural shows.

So you see, it isn’t just “events at hotels” or “singing competitions.” Apart from benefiting society, the arts can also significantly benefit the tourism industry and the economy.

There are governments around the world who recognise this. The German government for example has recently declared a staggering €50 billion worth of aid package for the country’s arts and cultural sectors. They see the arts and its community as an asset.

Unfortunately over here, the only support the practitioners of arts can expect from our minister is in the form of online singing competitions.

In all honesty, as a member of the arts community, I do not know which is more hurtful – not being included in the federal government’s aid packages or being treated as invisible.

Looks like not only our theatres are left in the dark during this crisis, we are also left to struggle on our own.

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FA ABDUL is a passionate storyteller, a media trainer, an aspiring playwright, a director, a struggling producer, a photographer, an expert Facebooker, a lazy blogger, a part-time queen and a full-time vainpot. - Mkini