Steps for a New Platform
By Subhadra Devan
THE Citrawarna festival is a multimillion-ringgit, decade-old production that has had its moments. Is it time for local arts to get a more meaningful showcase? SUBHADRA DEVAN writes.
Dancers clad in the costumes of the races and tribes of Malaysia. The lights are warm and bright. The stage – usually at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur – is colourful. The steps are simple, and vaguely similar to a movement you may have seen in a traditional dance.
That’s the Citrawarna parade and dance show, which is a must- have at the Citrawarna (Colours of Malaysia) month-long festival, now in its 10th year.
The Mardi Gras-like event is the stage where the arts and culture of our country is said to be showcased. The show is not really meant for locals. It is a tourism spectacle with laser lights, fireworks plus a street parade.
Asks University of Malaya’s Dr Mohd Anis Md Nor: “Is Citrawarna meant for locals or tourists?
“If it’s for tourists, who spend just a few days here, it’s almost like giving them a free show instead of them paying for a dinner show.”
Colours of Malaysia was first conceptualised as Malaysia Fest in 1987. Is it time to come up with a more cohesive culture and arts package for everyone – locals and foreigners – to enjoy? One where creativity among the locals would be built in the long run.
The show, says Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) head of dance department Joseph Gonzales, is a nationally sanctioned packaged performance.
It isn’t truly reflective of the arts of our country, he adds.
Last year, local company MST AD Suria was awarded the Colours of Malaysia project by the Tourism Ministry and Australians experienced in organising mega events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Doha Games were brought in for the four to five-hour-long dance showcase.
The company has been given the contract again and the production is expected to involve a 1,600-strong crew and cast of performers from all over the country, offering a street parade and a theatrical show, in Putrajaya in May.
The Tourism Ministry says RM7.41 million was spent on the month- long festival last year. This year, RM8 million has been allocated, including artistes’ fees and infrastructure costs.
Says Mohd Anis, professor of ethnochoreology, ethnomusicology and performance studies: “If it serves the purpose of bringing the tourists to the country and the purpose of getting them interested to see the country, well… good and fine.
“But what are the statistics?”
The Ministry of Tourism website states that 17.32 million people visited the country last year, compared with 14.44 million in 2006.
“From what I see, we have more locals than tourists attending the event. Locals attend because they have nothing else to do, and it’s free,” adds Mohd Anis.
Have foreign tourists marked the Citrawarna parade on their calendar like the Mardi Gras of Rio de Janeiro or the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena?
“I don’t think so,” says Mohd Anis. “Not like the World Sacred Music Festival in Fez, Morocco. It is now known as the club of the rich. They have achieved that level.”
But Mohd Anis and Gonzales say Citrawarna is the one time when local artistes get to feel important.
Says Mohd Anis: “Of course, in terms of expenses, it (Citrawarna) is huge.
“For the artistes, taking part in Citrawarna is the chance to be pampered. They get some respect.
“At least they get a chance, for a few days, to live this idea of, wow I am a commodity.”
For teacher-dancer Umesh Shetty, who is currently choreographing a Citrawarna project, the work is “carma – cari makan”.
“It’s bread and butter for new dancers. For an eight-minute dance segment, maybe 200 dancers are needed, and each gets RM600. For a group, as say the Temple of Fine Arts, it is a good sum.”
While he wonders if such work and expense help build creativity in the long run, both Umesh and Gonzales say surviving as artistes in Malaysia is tough. Umesh says for his Inner Space venture, he and his colleagues took a bank loan to start off the venture.
“We paid off the loan, eventually. We were younger then and we needed to be able to survive as full-time dancers. Having Citrawarna work helped.”
Gonzales says Puteri Gunung Ledang did a good job in showing Malaysians that performance artistes can have work in the country.
An ensemble cast member, rehearsing for months and performing for three weeks, can get paid RM4,000 to RM5,000.
“Which is good for this country, but is that enough?’ asks Gonzales. “No way Jose.”
“Although these salaries are now much higher than even five years ago, artistes involved still cannot afford to put aside other paying jobs to completely concentrate on these types of projects.
“The one-off gigs like Citrawarna are quick, involve fewer rehearsals, are more entertainment-driven, pay better and in turn can fund more `artistic’ ventures which are more fulfilling for some.”
What Gonzales thinks could replace the strictly-tourism Citrawarna event is the Malaysian version of London’s Broadway in West End.
“We have something rare in this world – different arts and cultures of Asia in one place. We could offer say eight shows of bangasawan, wayang kulit, in one corner.
“Another three or four shows of Malay theatre… more shows of traditional dance in another corner, a top-class musical like Puteri Gunung Ledang…
“Hold it on a regular and permanent basis so that people would know, and buy tickets.”
This, he adds, is different from an international arts festival.
“That would be hard to organise here. We don’t have the structure, the management to support this kind of a festival.”
The Singapore Arts Festival, which Gonzales attends, is an example of a well-packaged event.
He says: “The bookings for the performers at that festival are done in advance.
“Here, I think an arts festival is decided usually at the last minute. So you can’t book big names as dance companies’ calendars are planned two years in advance.
“We’ll need permits and licences, and some acts may not be allowed, while some companies will be doing contemporary work that deals with taboo subjects.”
We do have arts-related events that draw tourists like the nowdefunct Penang Arts Festivals, the Putrajaya Arts Festival which started last year and the annual Rainforest Music Festival in Sarawak. About 22,000 people, with over 60 per cent coming from outside Sarawak, attended that three-day event last year.
Gonzales says that what is not so publicised are the cultural commodities that promote our country on a smaller scale.
“These are privately-funded initatives like Aswara artistes attending the Asia Pacific Performance Exchange, an international musicians and artists residency programme, Temple Of Fine Arts’ regular works in Perth, Ramli Ibrahim’s frequent tours of India and the international engagements of Dama Orchestra and the Hands Percussion Team.
“They played in foreign cities on self or corporate funded tours. These do much more to promote arts in Malaysia to a discerning audience.”
But we have not built an audience for such arts events, says Mohd Anis.
“They go for Citrawarna because they happen to be there at the right place. It’s a free performance.
“We don’t have the crowd who will pay for the tickets. If Citrawarna were to charge RM15 a person, you think there would be people there?
“How many people from Damansara Heights or Kepong attend Citrawarna? None. People from Pantai Dalam, yes.
“So with no audience development, how do you expect a festival to happen?”
Says Gonzales: “Tourism brings in the money. The arts has to beg for it.”
After a decade of showcasing our arts and culture on the street, perhaps we are ready for a more meaningful platform for our artistic heritage and development.
(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.