Coming up with ideas for Perak

30,000 expected at week-long festival

IPOH: A one-of-its-kind “Perak Festival of Ideas” will kick off today, with over 60 programmes held across the state.

The event, until Sept 12, will include a literature-sharing session, an art exhibition and a music showcase, among many others.

An inter-faith dialogue titled Cleanliness in Different Religions and the Perak Culinary Extravaganza 2017 will be held.

There will also be a business forum titled Challenging the Norm Through Corporate Social Innovation, a programme called Arts from the Forest: Visual Arts of the Aborigines and hot air balloon rides.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir ( pic) believes the festival is the first such event to be held in South-East Asia.

“What we have envisioned is to turn Perak into a hotbed where ideas can flourish. We have been focusing much on developing our state through economy.

“This time, we want to do something differ- ent, which is to gather and come up with different ideas to develop Perak in other aspects,” he said, adding that the festival is expected to attract between 25,000 and 30,000 people.

Dr Zambry said the week-long event is meant to have an air of festivity around it, “like how we celebrate our Hari Raya, Chinese New Year or Deepavali, with everyone also having fun”.

The culmination of the festival will be the Pangkor Dialogue, to be held at the Amanjaya Convention Centre on Sept 11 and 12.

On the dialogue, Dr Zambry said some notable personalities attending it are former Ecuador president Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt, Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett and astronaut Dr Catherine Cady Coleman.

Perak Ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah will also deliver a royal address.

For more information, visit their Instagram handle @perakfestivalofideas and Facebook at www.facebook.com/perakfestivalofideas.