Children express wishes, dreams on special day

Rizky KD Ntoma, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Anggi, 10, took a small piece of paper and a pen. Then she wrote a wish and her dream on it, before attaching the paper to a 1.5- kilometer banner.

"After this, I will read a poem that I wrote, called Menatap Masa Depan yang Cerah (See the Bright Future) on the stage at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center. I want to tell every child in this country that they must never give up in reaching their goals," she enthusiastically told The Jakarta Post.

"I also want to see Indonesia in peace. No more war," said the girl, a representative of Save Our Soul (SOS) from Taruna village in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

Udin, 9, from the Bantar Gebang community, said: "I wrote 'Stop violence against children' and 'When will we ever get free school?' on two small pieces of paper and attached them to two balloons."

"I want every child to be loved and respected. We children have the right to a free education," said Udin, who wants to be a soccer player like Italian Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus.

Anggi and Udin were among 700 children taking part in the commemoration of National Children's Day at the Proklamasi statue, on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.

The event was organized by Sanggar Anak Akar along with 19 other studios and schools.

After writing some notes and drawing pictures to express their feelings, the children attached the papers to the banner or tied them to colorful balloons, creating a festive atmosphere.

They also enjoyed watching other children dancing barongsay (the Chinese lion dance) around the statue's plaza. After the performance, the 700 participants marched to TIM passing Jl. Cikini Raya and causing congestion in surrounding areas.

Some of the children attracted attention by smearing their bodies with colorful paints.

Take a look at Dodo, from Kurnia studio in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

He and his friends not only painted their bodies but also wore necklaces and belts made from red chilies, oranges, scallion, celery and jengkol (pungent beans).

At the arts center, the children expressed their wishes and dreams through various performances on the stage.

Ris, a 15-year-old boy from Penas Lama community, told the Post that the event was a good opportunity for children to show off their talents and creativity.

"We want to show people that we are as talented and creative as other children," he said.

One of the organizers, Rika, said that the purpose of the event was to give the opportunity to children to express their feelings and to acknowledge their existence in society.

Starting from this year, Sanggar Anak Akar have joined with other studios to organize the event.

"Previously, they only participated in the event while Sanggar Anak Akar organized it," she said.

The studio also received donations from some non-governmental organizations and individuals in the form of cash and food.