Transforming Kuala Lumpur into a Cultural and Creative City are not building castles in the air, given a diverse pool of our local talents. In fact, empowering arts and culture as a key cultural economic driver is gaining momentum as creative economy is forecast to contribute up to 15% of the global GDP.

Why creative economy matters?

The 2018 Creative Economy Outlook and Country Profile report by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) asserts that creative economy can make a valuable contribution to the achievement of sustainable development goals for being a significant and meaningful contributor to national GDP.

In other words, creative economy, driven by its commercial and cultural value, is becoming part of the economic diversification strategy to stimulate economic growth while fostering inclusive development for many governments worldwide.

According to the UNCTAD report, USD509 billion worth of creative goods was recorded in 2015 and in Asia Pacific alone, over 13 million jobs fill the creative economy, which generates income through trade and intellectual property rights while bringing new opportunities to particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.

Malaysia gaining prominence

On commendable note, Malaysia was one of the top 10 creative goods exporters among developing countries behind the likes of China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Taiwan. Malaysia recorded a USD4 billion trade surplus in 2015 for creative goods.

The 5-year (2017 – 2022) cultural and creative industry development plan undertaken by the CENDANA (Cultural Economy Development Agency) maps out the creation of over 125,000 jobs by 2022, accounting for 3% of Kuala Lumpur’s GDP. Design and visual arts are among the highest performing sectors, for instance.

Malaysia is never short of artistic talents in either visual arts, performing arts or independent music.

Visual Arts

For Jeffrey Lim, nothing beats the humbleness and charm of his eye-catching ‘Kanta Box’ that he carries with him wherever he goes - to capture the everyday lives or portraits of Malaysians especially those living in the rural areas.

Lim’s notable projects include the most recent Kanta Borneo and the ones to Belum Rainforest in Perak and Endau Rompin National Park in Johor with indigenous people as the focal point.

Lim has so far participated in 6 exhibitions, 12 field expressions, visited 27 villages, and 3 international art residences with 630 portraits taken.

Performing Arts

For Kimberly Yap and Imran Syafiq from ASK Dance Company (ADC), dance is their universal language that connects with the world. Through graceful moves, they stamp their marks on the dance floor with sensuous ingenuity. And of course, it’s not an easy journey at all.

ADC has even spread its wings overseas, being the first and only Malaysian dance outfit to perform at the 2019 Asia Pacific Dance Festival hosted by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Imran humself has also performed in Papua New Guinea, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, USA, India, Cambodia and Korea to his credit.

Independent Music

Don’t judge a book by its cover! Wait till you listen to the song Tenangkan Bontot Anda. With over 200,000 hits on two different Youtube channels, it certainly speak volumes for Takahara Suiko from The Venopian Solitude.

The indie group has performed in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada (Red Bull Music Academy in Montreal), Denmark, Spain (Sónar Barcelona), The Netherlands, England, Sweden and Germany (Fusion Festival) – 5 music festivals and 2 showcases so far.

The band, which wows its fans with a number of ‘cult’-following songs such as Pelacur Muzik and Layar, was also shortlisted for the 91st Oscars Documentary Feature category.

CENDANA as the catalyst

And for art to blossom, it needs ‘oxygen’ - passion, talent, energy, time, money and support from all parties where every element plays a role to make any form of art a success. CENDANA comes into the picture to empower talented Malaysians to take on the world stage.

CENDANA, unit under MyCreative Ventures (a Minister of Finance Incorporated Company) reports to the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, hopes to move the needle in the creative economy realm by bringing Malaysian arts and artists into prominence, locally and internationally, while positioning Kuala Lumpur toward a cultural and creative city.

Kimberly Yap, Imran Syafiq (ASK Dance Company), Jeffrey Lim (Kanta Portraits) and Takahara Suiko (The Venopian Solitude) were the proud recipients of CENDANA’s Funding Sponsorship Programme. Know more about them on Facebook and Youtube.