By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 30: Now is the time for creative communities to submit event proposals for October, as the What About Kuching (WAK) festival will be held here from October 1 to October 31, bringing the city’s arts and culture scene back into the limelight.
The ‘WAK 2022, Announcement, and Call for Proposal’ kickstarter event was officially launched today at a local hotel here by the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, and was well attended by artists, artisans, performers, and the movers and shakers in the creative industries, as well as the festival’s many partners and supporters from the public and private sectors.
“It has been really refreshing to see the city come together, a true partnership between the public, private sectors, and the creative communities to embrace this effort by taking on their respective roles as sponsors, venue providers, collaborators, and supporters.
“The WAK movement has truly taken root and gained traction. The inaugural WAK in 2017 attracted more than 70,000 attendees, and two years later, WAK 2019 attracted more than 260,000 attendees.
“The number of events held has also increased significantly over the years, from 75 in 2017 to 121 in the most recent WAK 2019,” Abdul Karim revealed in his speech.
He said WAK has indeed become a feature festival on the State’s Calendar of Activities for Kuching and Sarawak.
“My Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) is proud to continue to support WAK as its primary sponsor this year and in the future,” he added.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development, urged local governments, government agencies, and the private sector to continue supporting the initiative in order to make Kuching a truly vibrant and cultured city.
Meanwhile, in his welcoming remarks, WAK festival co-director and founder Donald Tan expressed gratitude to the MTCP, as well as all sponsors and partners on behalf of the creative communities, for their assistance in reactivating the festival platform after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is time for all creatives to take centre stage once more in October in celebration of the diverse Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle pursuits in Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, and beyond.
“Get your creative juices flowing again and come up with innovative ideas to play, dance, sing, walk, cook, plant, run, hike, cycle, camp, laugh, paint, sculpt, and more to the rhythm and soul of our beautiful city of Kuching.
“Log on to our website, www.aboutkuching.com, to complete the WAK 2022 proposal form and submit it by noon on July 31, 2022,” Tan stated.
During the event, representatives from various creative communities also shared their ideas on what they hoped to showcase in October during the event. — DayakDaily
