Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), after careful evaluation, cancelled the “Tap Siac Craft Market” originally scheduled for April. Meanwhile, IC will actively create favourable working conditions for local cultural and creative practitioners by launching an open call for proposals for “Online Handicraft Teaching” to promote the development of Macao’s cultural and creative industries.

The “Tap Siac Craft Market”, held in April and November each year,  attracted a flow of 65,265 and 104,493 visitors in 2019, respectively. In order to reduce the risk of the epidemic spreading in the community, to avoid contact and concentration of people and to protect the safety of both the participants and the public, IC will cancel the “Tap Siac Craft Market” scheduled for April and assist local cultural and creative industries to work through difficult times by introducing various supporting measures and plans.

In order to create more favourable working conditions for local cultural and creative practitioners, IC plans to launch an open call for proposals for “Online Handicraft Teaching” in the first half of the year, calling for proposals of handicraft teaching from artistic practitioners and introducing them in video form on the relevant online platforms. Details of the plan will be announced in due course.

IC is working alongside the cultural and creative practitioners to combat the epidemic and will continue to bring to the public different forms of cultural and creative activities in the future, in order to work together for social recovery. For updates, please visit IC’s website at www.icm.gov.mo, its official WeChat account “ICMacao” or “IC Art” page on Facebook.