DA+C Festival 2011

Penang’s ranking as the 8th spot in `10 top islands you must visit before you die’ survey by dotcom giant Yahoo; reinforces its cultural diversity as a strong tourist attraction. Ironically, Penang’s vibrant culture is rapidly being eroded out by capitalistic opportunists who do not reinvest the earnings in the communities they exploit.

There is a cultural disconnection between the economy-generating youths and the older generation as they communicate with different media. For Penang to make a quantum leap, a jump-start program is critical. It is time for Penang to reinvent herself before international interest falters out, especially in the area of direct investments.

DA+C festival is a jump-start program with the vision to spear head Malaysia’s creative economy by positioning Penang as the `Creative Digital Hub’ in South-East-Asia. DA+C festival re-packages Penang’s culture and streamlines it with today’s telecommunication and internet industry whose patrons are the burgeoning youth masses. This will trigger a domino effect of job creation, technology infrastructure development, continuous research and superior entrepreneurial skills that connect people with technology.

Conserving and preserving one’s cultural heritage is no longer a matter of choice but of economic survival.

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