Int'l group learns local art, culture

YOGYAKARTA: At least 38 participants representing 16 countries are attending a three-month program to learn Indonesian arts and cultures in Yogyakarta, Bali and Bandung.

They are the recipients of this year's arts and cultural scholarship program provided by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Twelve of the international participants, including artists, lecturers, actors, dancers and students, were sent to Yogyakarta, and the rest to Bali and Bandung.

"We have been giving the scholarships for three consecutive years since 2003. This year we have offered the scholarships to 30 countries," secretary of the ministry's information, public diplomacy, and international agreement directorate Nahari Agustini told the participants in Yogyakarta on Saturday.

However, she added, only 16 countries responded positively to the offer. They included Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Brunei, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Fiji, Tonga, Singapore, Micronesia, the Philippines and Vanuatu.

During their stay in Yogyakarta, all the participants will live with an Indonesian family and be treated as a member of the family.

"They will learn many things here, such as Javanese dance Karawitan and puppetry, batik making, the Indonesian language, and even Javanese traditions," Yogyakarta's Retno Aji Mataram director Sunaryadi said. --JP