ACTRESS and director Sharifah Amani questions the confiscation of art event halls as well as the ridiculous entertainment licence fees imposed on any small art community in Malaysia.
Commenting on the raid carried out by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) at the Angkasa Event Space event hall on Sunday, Amani requested that the authorities examine the relevance of the current laws so that they are not seen as restricting or oppressing art groups in Malaysia.
"Logically, entertainment licences are too expensive. How can such a small event space afford to pay? They do not get much profit.
“There are so many laws in this industry that I don't understand. Some (laws) were made in the 60s, so the authorities need to change them because they may no longer be relevant now.
"When there is a new minister, they say they will look at the documents. But until today, nothing has changed. Who really cares about our art?" she said when met by Getaran at the media conference for the drama 'Murder by Moonlight'.
According to the recipient of the 19th Malaysia Film Festival (FFM) Best Actress trophy, the authorities need to open their eyes and be a little sensitive to the importance of the art space to the local community.
“Art is important. It's not just entertainment, it's more than that. Art spaces are places for communities to gather.
"When Angkasa was confiscated, my Twitter was flooded with discussions about the closure of this event space.
"I think everyone is speaking up because they shared experiences and memories there. There were tears and laughter in that place," she said.
Not only that, Amani asserted that even though the event space is closed, it will in no way dampen the spirit of the artists to continue creating.
"It is impossible that the artist's spirit will weaken. If our generation falls, the next generation will be there.
"These people will rise higher and be louder than us. The place may be closed but the spirit is still there," she said.
Angkasa was confiscated around 7.45pm on Sunday while they were holding a hip-hop music event before being raided by the authorities for not having a permit and entertainment license.
Every hall owner needs to provide at least RM77,000 to get an entertainment license.
Since Angkasa opened in 2018, they have organised various music and performance events involving mainstream and independent artists.
Among the celebrities who have performed here include Datuk M. Nasir, Noh Salleh, Masdo, Kyoto Protocol and many others. – The Vibes, July 27, 2022
This article first appeared in The Vibes' Bahasa Malaysia sister publication Getaran.
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