KUCHING: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is keen to support creative individuals and has a special fund of about RM10 million to do so.
Since it was difficult for those in the creative industry such as arts and theatre to obtain financial assistance, its minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah therefore encouraged them to apply for funding from his ministry.
“I believe that this can also include authors as they are in the creative sector,” he said when officiating at the Sarawak Authors Festival (SAF) 2020 Dinner organised by the Sarawak State Library (Pustaka) at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Saturday night (August 29).
“It does not have to be paid back; it is an outright grant. Two committees will determine whether applicants are eligible or not,” he said.
Abdul Karim pointed out that authors could seek some of this funding to help them collect data or other matters pertaining to their writing.
He said the approval process was not too difficult, adding that as long as the application was genuine, his ministry would process the application accordingly.
At the same time, he said he would be providing RM50,000 to Pustaka for it to decide where to place the allocation.
Earlier in his speech, Abdul Karim said that SAF, which was held from August 27 to 29 this year with the theme of ‘Soul’, was held as a symbol of appreciation for the contributions of authors and publishers in Sarawak towards the publishing industry.
“With this programme, creative writing among authors in Sarawak will continue to expand, thus creating new local authors while experienced authors will certainly be able to preserve and develop written treasures,” he said.
The minister said the festival also encouraged public interest in the state towards various fields of writing.
“SAF is the best way to introduce the younger audience to the art of writing and literature, honing their writing skills which can be used throughout their life,” he said.
He added that the festival also opened up opportunities for meeting points between authors, publishers and readers to appreciate written works as well as subjects highlighted by authors.
“Similar to the festival celebration in previous years, we give recognition and appreciation to authors and publishers who have contributed their works to Pustaka through the Legal Deposit requirements, Sarawak State Library Ordinance, 1999,” said Abdul Karim.
He also pointed out that the use of technology and innovation in the presentation of this year’s festival due to the new norm allowed the festival’s events to be accessed wherever and at any time by anyone who had an internet connection.
