Nature festival to be held soon<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A unique festival featuring potted plants as
\nwell as other plants, natural artistic stones, wild chicken and
\nbamboo products will take place at the Senayan sports stadium in
\nCentral Jakarta early in June.<\/p>\n
The festival, the first of its kind in Indonesia, is being
\njointly organized by five different groups: the bonsai lovers,
\nthe suiseki (natural artistic stones) lovers, the flora lovers,
\nthe Ayam Bekisar (wild chicken of phasianidae family) lovers, and
\nthe bamboo society.<\/p>\n
Honorary chairman of the organizing committee, former minister
\nof justice Ismail Saleh said President Soeharto or First Lady
\nTien Soeharto is expected to open the nine-day event on June 3.
\nGovernment officials, public figures and diplomats will be among
\nthe honorary guests during the opening ceremony, he told a press
\nconference yesterday.<\/p>\n
Ismail expressed the hope that the festival, called Salam
\nNusantara '95, would help improve the people's appreciation of
\nnature and arts.<\/p>\n
Ismail, who owns a suiseki shop in South Jakarta's Pondok
\nIndah Mall, said that in view of their artistic value, bonsai and
\nsuiseki could be quite invaluable.<\/p>\n
\"You can buy bonsai or suiseki for as low as Rp 25,000 a
\npiece, but there are many which sell for up to Rp 20 million
\neach,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The best local suiseki is found in West Sumatra, Ismail said,
\nadding that the stones are black and harder than those found in
\nother places in the country.<\/p>\n
Suiseki is very popular in Japan and Korea, and have been
\ncollected by people for centuries. The Japanese and Korean
\ngovernments have banned stone-hunting activities in those
\ncountries because suiseki have become rare, according to Ismail.<\/p>\n
\"Now, they start to eye Indonesia, where the artistic stones
\nare still abundant,\" said Ismail.<\/p>\n
Former minister of environment and population Emil Salim,
\nwho is a patron of the Indonesian Bamboo Society, was also
\npresent at the press conference.<\/p>\n
The unique festival will be held in conjunction with the 50th
\nanniversary of Indonesia's independence. (sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nature-festival-to-be-held-soon-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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