A four-day Sundanese arts festival kicked off in Bogor municipality on Wednesday, with hundreds of students from 30 universities in West Java participating.

The festival, which was officially opened by assistant to the Office of the State Minister for Culture and Tourism for its arts and film program Aswari Afandi, will feature various Sundanese art forms.

Following the opening on Wednesday, hundreds of students and other participants (see picture) paraded from Bogor City Hall on Jl. Juanda to the Padjadjaran sports complex on Jl. Pemuda.

Organizing committee chairman Bambang Soemantri said the festival was aimed at reviving dozens of Sundanese art forms that were no longer popular among the nation's youth.

The Sundanese are an ethnic group from West Java.

"The festival is also aimed at inspiring young people to take part, so that Sundanese art forms continue to be practiced," he added.

The festival will include cultural presentations such as angklung gubrak (traditional bamboo instrument music), Cimande martial arts, bedug (drum performance), pantun beton, blantek/lenong, and goong sibolong.

Bambang said the event was the third of its kind. The first and second festivals were held in the West Java capital of Bandung. --Theresia Sufa