THE George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year in a meaningful way.
In conjunction with the celebration, GTWHI has come up with two main initiatives – the ‘GTWHI Heritage Recognition and Awards 2020’ and ‘Cultural Heritage Book Giveaway to Educational Institutions in Malaysia’.
The ‘GTWHI Heritage Recognition and Awards 2020’ is aimed at recognising and honouring individuals and groups who have contributed enormously to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the George Town World Heritage Site.
The awards consist of four categories, namely, the Conservation, Enhancement and Adaption Award; Cultural Heritage Events and Activities Award; Lifetime Achievement Award; and Cultural Continuity Recognition.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow welcomed the public to jointly make Penang a sustainable and cultural state.
State Tourism Development, Arts, Cultural and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said anyone could take part in the nomination process.
“The public can either nominate others or self-nominate.
“The nomination period is from Feb 15 to April 15 (before 5pm). Announcement of winners will be made on June 7. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held in July,” he said.
The public can download the free nomination form at http://gtwhi.com.my/heritage-recognition-awards-2020/
Those interested can e-mail the form and supporting documents to [email protected] or hand-deliver them to the GTWHI office.
Printed copies of the nomination form are also available at the GTWHI office.
Yeoh said that the award winners would bring home a plaque and a certificate each.
“They will also be given the priority in GTWHI’s cultural promotional activities,” he said.
The review and selection process will be done by the panel of jury consisting Moe Chiba the programme specialist and head of unit culture of UNESCO office in Jakarta, Prof Datin Paduka Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid the former director-general of the National Heritage Department, Dr Rohit Jigyasu the project manager of The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Dr Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool the former director of The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre and Dr Ang Ming Chee the general manager of GTWHI.
Yeoh also spoke about the second initiative – the ‘Cultural Heritage Book Giveaway to Educational Institutions in Malaysia’.
“The second initiative is aimed at promoting and educating students on cultural heritage.
Through this programme, 100 book sets, each consisting of six titles namely ‘Epitaph : The Northam Road Protestant Cemetery (Volumes 1 & 2 ), ‘George Town : Our Stories’, ‘George Town’s Historic Commercial and Civic Precincts’, ‘Little India of George Town’, Penang’s Living Legacy- Heritage Traders of George Town and ‘POTEHI- Glove Puppet Theatre of Penang (Boxset) will be given to schools, colleges and universities in Malaysia.
“Schools, colleges, universities in Malaysia can apply for the books via www.gtwhi.com.my/book-giveaway-2020
“The deadline for the application is Nov 30.
“Schools will be notified through e-mail to collect the books from the GTWHI office or to pay for postage if they are unable to collect the books,” he said.
Dr Ang hoped that the media practitioners could encourage more people to take part in both programmes.
For enquiries, e-mail to [email protected]
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
Video by Chan Kok Kuan