Ista Kyra and Sukhbir Cheema, co-founders of arts and culture community site Eksentrika, were extremely touched at how kind-hearted Malaysians quickly helped those who raised a white flag outside their homes.
People just banded together under the #benderaputih initiative on social media last week, pledging to help those badly affected by the pandemic.
“There are many helpful Malaysians and the white flag movement is a testament to our #KitaJagaKita spirit, ” says Sukhbir.Inspired by this viral initiative, the couple realised they could play a role as well.
“We discovered that for the Malaysian arts and culture community, there was no single one-stop platform that contained all the information of organisations and practitioners who urgently require help.
“Since Eksentrika is an arts and culture community platform, we decided to quickly create a page containing everyone, from arts and culture organisations to communities, to people who are looking for support financially and food-wise, ” shares Sukhbir.
The #BenderaPutih directory, which went live on Eksentrika’s page recently, lists down arts communities and individuals who are negatively impacted by the pandemic.
At press time, six organisations are listed in the directory, including the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), PenangPac, Serambi Karya, Pentas Aksi, Negara Records and Muka Space.
“In the current situation, many arts and culture organisations and individuals are affected but singularly may not have the reach to receive adequate help. This listing is aimed at making it more convenient for the public.
“Eksentrika hopes to be a bridge that helps to connect all stakeholders in our community towards appreciating arts and culture as an industry that can help us enrich our nation not just economically, but also intellectually and holistically, ” says Sukhbir.
Those who wish to support the affected arts communities can then directly donate to them or purchase their products and services based on the information provided.
"When a performing arts centre plans to stay afloat for the next three months instead of planning productions for the next one to two years, it is a clear indication that things are beginning to fall apart – and yes, we are beginning to crumble, " says Fa Abdul, PenangPac general manager, in a statement.
"We are doing our very best to stay alive, however we do not wish to sugar coat this very difficult situation. Our survival is very much in a limbo, we do not even know if we can make it past August. Our funds are depleting and we are working very hard to get donations and sponsorships in. Unfortunately nothing is helping much at the moment," she adds.
The ongoing closure of performing arts spaces and the suspension of cultural events - which began in the Klang Valley on May 7 before the implementation of total nationwide lockdown on June 1 - has pushed the arts and culture sector to a Covid-induced collapse.
“We worry that if we don't assist these organisations and individuals, we might lose some truly wonderful spaces that have over the years become incubators for future arts and culture players. We will not only lose art and culture but possibly our sense of identity, ” says Sukhbir.
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