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'Hand arts cash to the little guys'

Big player targeted for HK$30m government funding boost says it could be put to better use

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Danny Yung Ning-tsun. Photo: May Tse

One of the "big nine" publicly funded arts groups has called on the government to redirect its offer of an additional cash injection of HK$30 million to smaller arts groups instead.

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On the eve of tomorrow's policy address, performing arts group Zuni Icosahedron criticised the government for a misallocation of resources that had stunted cultural development.

Zuni's executive director Mathias Woo said the Home Affairs Bureau offered the additional HK$30.42 million to the "big nine" in November, on top of their total subvention of HK$304 million for 2013/14.

Woo said Zuni had decided not to bid for a share of the cash as it was too little to solve the needs of any major arts group. He said there were more than 300 smaller arts projects sharing a total subvention of just HK$40 million and called on the government to reallocate the extra cash to them.

Zuni's co-artistic director and West Kowloon arts hub board member Danny Yung Ning-tsun said the extra funding was well-intended but it appeared to be a gesture of mercy rather than an integral part of budget planning.

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Yung said that following the collapse of a plan to set up a culture bureau, no one had taken on responsibility for drafting a blueprint for cultural development.

"Drafting a cultural blueprint needs research and co-ordination, not just handing out money for people to bid for," he added.

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