By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Nov 1: Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah urges major homegrown corporations to support big festivals such as What About Kuching (WAK).
He also affirms that his ministry will continue to serve as the official sponsor of the WAK movement for as long as it maintains its positive trajectory for Kuching and Sarawak.
Abdul Karim stated this in his speech on Monday night (Oct 31) at the WAK 2022 Afterparty, which was held at a local hotel.
“WAK Festival has quickly become an iconic festival on Sarawak’s Calendar of Events, and I look forward to seeing its continued evolution as an international player in the years ahead.
“Most events were sold out to enthusiastic audiences from near and far. Exhibitions, talks, and workshops were well received and attended, and we even had guests come from neighbouring countries to enjoy our 2022 WAK events.
“The WAK platform is unique in that it does not limit itself to specific genres or demographics, allowing it to truly reflect the community,” Abdul Karim said.
In addition, he urged creative talents to benchmark themselves against the highest international standards and to continue to hone their skills and abilities by seeking out international networks and collaborations.
He also urged current partners and supporters to continue their partnership and support of the dynamic movement in future editions so that they can be a part of WAK’s rapid growth.
Meanwhile, WAK festival directors Donald Tan and Marina Foo, stated in a statement that their next step would be to build international networks with other festivals and creative communities.
“Hopefully, through such networks, our creatives will be able to have the opportunity to expose themselves to higher levels of performance and staging through exchange programmes and overseas stints thereby improving their own capacity along the way.
“It is only when we open up to the rest of the world that WAK will become an international festival platform, putting our beautiful city as a feature destination on the global festival map in the coming years,” Tan and Foo noted.
The WAK 2022 Festival concluded with a lively appreciation dinner to celebrate the many events staged by creative communities in Kuching, Sarawak, and beyond.
The month-long festival featured a staggering 181 unique events staged by 59 individuals or groups in collaboration under the auspices of the WAK Festival.
The community-driven festival, which was supported by MTCP Sarawak as its official sponsor, was also supported by Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) and Kuching South City Council (MBKS), as well as an extensive list of government and non-government organisations, as well as the private sector.
Also present at the event were Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and Abdul Karim’s wife Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar. — DayakDaily
