Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man told reporters yesterday at a press conference after this year’s second plenary meeting of the Cultural Development Committee that her bureau will hold a one-day event called “Reading in the City” to mark the April 23 World Book Day as well as the 34th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) in May.
The closed-door meeting of the government-appointed Cultural Development Committee was held at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM), with the attendance of Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U and representatives of the cultural sector.
According to Leong, the “Reading in the City” event will be co-organised by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), presenting a series of activities with the aim of transforming Macau into a “City of Reading”, including a reading activity called “Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong Read Together for Half an Hour” that will be held at the Ruins of St Paul’s. Leong said that 43,000 people took part in last year’s reading event, about 27,000 more readers more than in 2022.
Leong pointed out that many residents have developed the habit of reading e-books in recent years, and the borrowing rate for e-books after the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly higher than it was before the pandemic, while the borrowing rate of physical books and the application for library cards also increased.
Leong said the committee members agreed that the activities have proved to be quite effective in promoting reading in the community and deepening residents’ interest in reading, and suggested that local associations should organise more reading promotion activities.
In addition, the 34th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) will be held in May with the theme of “Wondrous Encounters”, presenting 19 programmes and 23 outreach activities including dramas, operas, dance, music performances and visual arts by performing groups from all around the world.
Leong said the bureau has put a lot of effort into building a platform for local art groups to present themselves and to promote the interaction between local and international art groups.
The government-appointed Cultural Development Committee holds this year’s second plenary meeting at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) yesterday. – Photo: IC
