More than 3,000 artists and cultural workers nationwide are set to benefit from the Cendana Recovery Initiatives-Penjana funds in the coming months.
Minister of Communications and Multimedia Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said cultural workers will be benefitting from a share of RM10 million as part of an RM150 million financial boost set aside for creative industries.
The Cendana Recovery Initiatives, which is administered by the Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana), was created to support performing arts, visual arts, independent music and craft sectors via seven funding programmes.
It is aimed to support individuals, collectives, bands, organisations and operations impacted due to the pandemic to recover with the help of grants.
The awarded artisans are predominantly from Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Johor and Kedah with 38 per cent creating Made In Malaysia products, 35 per cent in Heritage Preservation, 11 per cent in Contemporised Craft, nine per cent Endangered Craft, five per cent in Craft Training and two per cent in Innovation Craft.
The awarded recipients who consist of artists and cultural workers are predominantly from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Johor, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.
They include 49 per cent of individuals, 28 per cent collectives and 23 per cent organisations.
The announcement was made at a media conference organised by Cendana at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) which was attended by the minister, and beneficiaries of the Cendana Recovery Initiatives, both at the event and through live stream.
“Efforts like Penjana, the announcement from Budget 2021 allocation and PRISMA-KKMM efforts are incredibly important for arts and cultural sectors, as 93 per cent of the practitioners are negatively impacted by COVID-19,” said Cendana founding CEO Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehuddin in a statement.
MyCreative Ventures Sdn. Bhd chairman Noor Azmi Mat Said expressed the importance of looking at the bigger picture in the development of the local creative industries including the arts and culture sectors.
“We are only just scratching the surface with the Penjana Plan for the Creative Industries.
“MyCreative Ventures and Cendana aim to further vitalise the creative economy or the Orange Economy as we begin to see signs of recovery from the ongoing global pandemic, ” he added.
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