My Hong Kong | Why Hong Kong needs a culture tsar and not just a ‘mega’ events committee – to champion our local identity to visitors
- The city needs someone to identify what is unique about the Hong Kong experience and spread that message to visitors through genuine interactions
- Some ideas for a future culture tsar: an annual Chinese Cultural Week, a permanent arts zone for local artists, and the chance to live with local host families
In an aim to attract top events back to Hong Kong and reinforce the city’s reputation as an international cultural and tourist hub, the government recently launched its much-anticipated Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee.
I expect this committee, besides promoting Hong Kong’s general cultural standing, will focus on boosting our cultural diversity, literacy, sensitivity and arts awareness. Perhaps, though, we should be cautious of that word “mega”.
Equally important for Cheng, though, will be to carve out a portion of the committee’s annual HK$60 million (US$7.6 million) budget to sponsor some less-than-mega events and cultural exchanges.
He should look beyond Hong Kong’s existing international art fairs like Art Basel and Art Central. It would be exciting to involve local arts communities in these international cultural exchanges. Fundamentally, these exchanges should be driven by cultural perspectives, language, social discussion and interaction, and other meaningful stakeholder involvement.
