KUALA LUMPUR: World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated with zest and flamboyance over the 5 - 6 May 2007 weekend, as singers and performers take to the stage to show their support for freedom of expression.

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Malaysiakini.com and TroubadoursKL have teamed up to jointly organise the People’s Arts Fest or “Pesta Seni Rakyat”, as it is called in Bahasa Malaysia, to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.

This two-day festival of music, drama and workshops is aimed at helping to promote Malaysian arts and creativity in all fields of communications. Aspiring Malaysian artists and those who are interested in becoming involved in the arts have few opportunities of either promoting themselves or finding information about independent communications initiatives. This two-day festival will fill both gaps by conducting workshops in various fields coupled with entertainment by local artistes.

Catch popular comedy act ComeBack Kings as they start off the festivities with a bang on 5 May and be continually entertained by an impressive line up of eclectic acts after that – Tan Sei Hon, Kamasutra, Shanon Shah and Carburetor Dung. Come by Central Market on 6 May again to catch Pak Pandir, Azmyl Yunor, Leow Mei Chern and Modar in action.

Besides the entertainment on the main stage, there will be a host of other activities, including art workshops for kids, poetry reading, film screenings, cartoon workshops and wayang kulit.

The inaugural World Press Freedom Day Celebrations in 2006 was also held at Central Market. The two-day event featured live music performances by 22 local bands, who performed for free in support of freedom of expression.

World Press Freedom Day has been celebrated annually on 3 May since 1993, after the declaration by the UNESCO General Assembly. Meanwhile, various groups in Malaysia regularly organise events to commemorate the importance of media freedom.

The international theme for World Press Freedom Day 2007 is “Save Journalists”. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (www.cpj.org), 580 journalists were killed in the line of duty between January 1992 and August 2006.

Journalists are most at risk in conflict areas. For example, 37 journalists were killed in Iraq since early 2006. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Sans Frontiers (www.rsf.org) have also documented threats to journalists in countries with established democratic institutions.

To find out more about the World Press Freedom Day 2007 celebrations and the various performers and artistes who will be entertaining audiences at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, visit worldpressfreedomday.blogspot.com