TO commemorate the 15th anniversary of George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the George Town Heritage Celebrations (GTHC) are set to take place in July.
The multicultural event, which is organised by George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI), will kick off on July 7.
On the day, a total of 20 cultural workshops will be held within the George Town heritage enclave, namely Armenian Park, Lebuh Acheh Basketball Court, Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, and Hock Teik Cheng Sin Temple.
The GTHC 2023 will also feature 18 community-led programmes throughout the year, with the aim of promoting the local community by allowing the organisers of their respective events to hold their activities according to their own calendars and venue preferences.
State Tourism Development, Arts, Culture, Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the GTHC has grown to be one of Malaysia’s exemplary community-based initiatives to celebrate and appreciate the similarities, differences, and distinctive characters of Penang folks.
“The state government is committed to working with and working for the people of Penang, through community-based initiatives such as GTHC as it empowers and establishes strong rapport among our local communities.
“We strongly believe that sustainability in cultural heritage safeguarding is only possible when Penangites are taking the lead in such a path.
“I would like to congratulate George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) for its continued commitment and success in curating GTHC as a pivotal avenue to catalyse cultural continuity and encourage heritage education,” Yeoh said during a press conference today at the GTWHI office at Lebuh Acheh.
GTWHI general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee has urged more youths to join as volunteers for the programme.
“Although we are reaching the limit for volunteers (200 people), we want more youths to be part of the GTHC to ensure the continuity of youth participation.
“It is important for them to know their cultural identity,” Ang added.
Other than that, the George Town Discovery Walk will also be held on July 7, in conjunction with the George Town Festival which runs from July 15 to 30.
Furthermore, on July 9, there will be a heritage interactive game called WarisHunt from 9am to noon. It is open to those who are aged 14 and above.
The game is limited to 40 groups and each group should have a minimum of two and a maximum of four members. The registration fee for each group is RM120.
Those who are interested can contact the hotline at 011-1625 9606 or register at https://forms.gle/7ho6tJPcg8jibPoZ9.
For more information on GTHC 2023, please visit www.gtwhi.com.my/gthc2023 or follow Facebook George Town Heritage Celebrations Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeTownCelebrations or follow on Instagram (@heritagecelebrations).
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Alissala Thian