LIGHT IN THE CITY GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL 2023
SPEECH BY THE CARETAKER CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW LIGHT IN THE CITY GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL 2023
30 July 2023
Lebuh Pantai
It gives me great pleasure to be with you here this evening at Light in the City, the grand finale of George Town Festival 2023.
As the Festival draws to a close, I want to share that I have been inspired and filled with hope throughout the past 16 days, experiencing all the outstanding works by local and international artists and, even more so, the positive engagement from the public.
This is why Light in the City stands as a meaningful way to mark the closing of George Town Festival 2023. Rarely do we see a celebration like this at the heart of George Town, where the arts take centre stage. This is a moment for everyone to see, listen, feel, and be a part of the Festival, illuminating how the arts can inspire and transform.
To celebrate Light in the City is to celebrate the impact of the arts in our lives and society. The arts pull people together, creating a community that speaks the language of togetherness. So today, we celebrate unity among diversity and the bountiful presence of the arts in our beloved heritage city and our thriving community. This, my friends, is the power and possibilities of the arts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For the past five years, George Town Festival has journeyed with one goal in mind - to create a more inclusive and accessible arts-centric festival under the overarching banner, A Festival for Everyone.
The vision behind this is to ensure that more people, especially those within Penang, would engage and actively participate in the arts. This is one of the main reasons the State has continuously supported the Festival, with minimal involvement and limitations to ensure that the arts can be expressed as freely as possible. But we could not have grown if it wasn’t for you.
That is why I want to thank all of you present today and those who have travelled near and far to be with us throughout the Festival - thank you for your presence and for being a part of the Festival’s journey. And to all those who have purchased tickets to the shows and performances, thank you for your generosity and for being patrons of the arts.
Your engagement is essential to the continued, sustainable growth of the arts in Penang and around the world. I hope you will continue to celebrate and recognise our local and homegrown talents beyond the Festival.
I congratulate the organisers and the committee on a job well done. Thank you for your hard work and for being a part of the effort to keep the arts alive in Penang.
Lastly, I leave you with this.
The arts shine a light in our lives, and every time you engage with any art form, you receive that light. So I hope you will shine that light to all those around you so that together we can build a society that appreciates and celebrates the power of the arts in our state and nation. And if you ever need a little hope and inspiration, the arts will always be here to show you the way home.
Congratulations, George Town Festival!
See you next year!