Bandung to host Braga festival

Bandung to host Braga festival

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A wide range of activities -- from theatrical oratory, a photo
exhibition, a glass painting exhibition to jazz music
performances and a tea walk -- are set to liven up the streets of
Bandung during the upcoming Braga festival.

Scheduled to run from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31, the festival will be
centered around Jl. Braga, Jl. Naripan and Jl. Asia Afrika and
the organization will open buildings -- including the historic
Asia Africa Culture Center, Merdeka and Preanger hotels -- to the
public.

The festival's director, Wawan Djuanda, said the festival was
planned by the West Java Culture Office, which is jointly
organizing the event along with Pikiran Rakyat newspaper and
other groups.

The event, he said, would try to show the government's efforts
to promote art and culture to the public while involving artists
in the process.

"So the moment is also used to call artists to 'report' their
creative work over the last year for the public to see, to let
the West Java people know what the artists have been working on
the past year," Wawan said.

During the festival, the Merdeka building is scheduled to host
a theatrical oratory -- where director Wawan Sofwan plans to turn
West Java Governor Danny Setiawan's speeches into a contemporary
theatrical work, as well as contemporary dance performances and a
poetry reading by Acep Zamzam Noor and Godi Suwarna.

The West Java Documentary Photo Expo, jointly put on by
Pikiran Rakyat and Bandung-based photojournalists, as well as the
West Java Documentary Forum, will be held at the PWI building
from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31.

"This exhibition will show West Java province's process of
introspection through photos," Wawan said,

Bandung's prestigious Hotel Preanger will host a glass
painting exhibition by artists from the West Java town of Cirebon
as well as tarling music performances from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30.

Around the Asia Africa Cultural Center, Jazz Break and Street
Rhythm will entertain music lovers along Jl. Braga from Dec. 28
to Dec. 30, with the scheduled performances of renowned artists
like Dwiki Dharmawan and Trie Utami.

Apart from enjoying performances and exhibitions, the
festival's visitors can also take part in the Bandung Tea Walk
where they can savor the afternoon atmosphere while learning
about the history of tea in the area.