Alternate events begin prior to int'l festival

Alternate events begin prior to int'l festival

Tarko Sudiarno and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post,
Magelang, Central Java

Two alternative festivals kicked off on Thursday evening prior to
the official opening of the Borobudur International Festival on
Saturday.

The Kampong Festival at the Borobudur parking lot was opened
with a Jaelangkung performance -- in which visitors including
vendors were able to communicate with spirits -- and Jamasan
(purification), preceded by a speech from Catholic priest and
intellectual Sindhunata.

More interesting events will take place on Sunday including a
Petan (looking for hair lice) competition, Ngrumpi (gossiping)
competition and Kerokan (rubbing the skin with a coin) and
Pijatan (massage) competition.

Some big names attended the opening of a second alternate
festival on Thursday evening called Borobudur Agitative at
Langgeng Gallery and Studio. They included poet W.S. Rendra and
intellectual Emha Ainun Najib.

Another alternate event called the Five Mounts Festival will
be launched at Warangan village, at the foot of Mount Merbabu, on
June 15.

The Borobudur International Festival is scheduled to be opened
by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday evening. The Rp
4.7 billion (US$573,170) festival is staged to commemorate the
20th anniversary of Borobudur temple's restoration and the
Indonesian Heritage Year 2003.

Artists from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan,
India and the United States will participate in the event that is
themed: Balancing Heritage Conservation and Community
Development. Local artists from 35 regencies throughout the
country will also participate.

Head of Central Java Culture and Tourism Office Henky
Hermantoro said on Friday that the festival was staged to
recharge the tourist industry in the country that has been on the
decline following the Bali bombings.

"This year is a strategic time for Borobudur temple to
revitalize tourism based on conservation and the empowerment of
the community," said Henky, who is also secretary of the festival
steering committee.

Some events including children's folk songs and traditional
games and a painting and handicrafts exhibition preceded the
festival opening on Wednesday.

A series of heritage and tourism-related seminars have been
held in Semarang and Surakarta and were attended by
representatives of the World Tourism Organization and other
concerned international bodies.

To support the festival, national air carrier Garuda Indonesia
has provided 60 free tickets per day for travel agents in ASEAN
countries.

"We have received a great response. Therefore, we are
considering holding the festival on a regular basis but only
after we evaluate the success of this year's festival," Henky
said.