Batak people celebrate Independence Day

Batak people celebrate Independence Day

JAKARTA (JP): Batak people living in the greater Jakarta area
have organized several cultural activities to take place over two
days, starting today, celebrating the 50th anniversary of
Indonesia's independence.

Emil Salim, chairman of the national committee for the 50th
Anniversary of Indonesia, told a recent press conference at Le
Meridien Hotel that the committee fully supported the activities
because preserving the culture of each ethnic tribe is among the
main concerns of the government.

The Batak ethnic group is native to the North Sumatra
Province.

He added that several other ethnic groups across the country
are also going to stage similar activities, where they will
exhibit and reflect on the changes experienced by their own
culture throughout Indonesia's first fifty years of independence.

"We hope that through the activities we can record the peak
elements of each ethnic group and develop them after that," he
said.

John B. Pasaribu, chairman of Horas Indonesia -- the Batak
festival's committee name -- said the cultural activities to be
performed by the Batak people include an arts exhibition, which
will be held from 10 a.m. through to the evening, today and
tomorrow; Batak traditional games, to be staged today only, from
10 a.m through to the evening; a seminar on Batak culture, to be
held today from 10 p.m through to the evening; and a dance and
music show to be staged tomorrow from 7 p.m till midnight.

All activities will be held at the Jakarta Convention Center,
Central Jakarta.

The seminar will involve 40 experts on Batak culture from
across the country, while the dance and music show will involve
about 200 artists and be attended by 6,000 guests. (jsk)