By SHAFIQUE DANIAL JOHARI

Think City’s Pentas Seni Merdeka which started about a month ago on the 22nd of July is back for the second time and will be rocking the city till November. Pentas Seni Merdeka is an initiative to uplift the city through injecting creative content within the city of Kuala Lumpur. Throughout these four months, the city will indulge in an array of curated performances, workshops and various creative activities to help boost the orange industry. 

Last weekend was the official launch of the Pentas Seni Merdeka and it was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Economy, YB Dato’ Hajjah Hanifah Hajar Taib. She hopes this inclusive public programme will be able to spur economic growth and help create new job opportunities for people in town especially within the dynamic creative sector in Malaysia. 

“Together, let us cultivate a thriving city that fuels innovation and drives the city’s growth and prosperity for all” she adds. She also says that activations such as Pentas Seni Merdeka is in line with the aspirations of the recently launched Malaysia MADANI economic framework which categorizes the creative and cultural economy sector as a fundamental pillar to fuel a vibrant Kuala Lumpur.

Also present at the event was Think City chief, Hamdan Abdul Majeed. He says, “Together with DBKL, we are rejuvenating downtown KL.” Hamdan mentions that the city has so much potential, especially when KL has a lot of public spaces that can become platforms to promote arts and cultures while concurrently generating social and economic dividends within the ecosystem.

During the event’s official launch, many cultural performances were showcased and among others were Barongan Seni Reong by Kumpulan Sri Wahyuni from the southern state of Johor, which is also a collaboration with PUSAKA. Among other cultural stars on the lineup will be Sape Master and also Malaysia’s Living National Heritage, Mathew Ngau Jau together with his ‘padawan’ Alena Murang, both from the rich and diverse island of Borneo. There will be cultural shows every second Saturday of the month starting from the 9th of July until November. 

There will also be performances by other cultural groups such as the Teochew Opera and cultural Indian art as well. Pentas Seni Merdeka will take place at Dataran Merdeka along Jalan Raja from 6pm till 10.30pm. For more info on Pentas Seni Merdeka, do visit the official Think City website. 

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