Kemang festival promises culture, fun

Kemang festival promises culture, fun

Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta

What's up in Kemang this weekend? What do you fancy? Live music,
handicrafts, art, cultural shows, theater, comedy, fashion
parades, food or shopping?

You name it, and you can probably find it at this year's
Kemang Street Festival happening on Saturday, June 7. Now in its
third year, this cultural gathering, started by Indo.com to
promote local handicrafts, promises to be more jampacked with fun
than in its previous two years.

"The Kemang Street Festival originally started in 2001 in
response to Indo.com website users' requests for information on
where to get Indonesian arts and crafts. We decided we needed a
separate website especially for this. That is how RajaCraft.com
came to be. But then, we were faced with the problem of launching
and promoting RajaCraft's services," Henry Situmeang, a
RajaCraft.com executive, said.

"We wanted something memorable. A launch at a hotel would have
been fun but easily forgettable, so we put our heads together
with the arts and crafts community, along with JakArt and the
Jakarta Metropolitan administration to see what we could come up
with together. And that is how the first Kemang Street Festival
came to be."

An overwhelming 50,000 people showed up at the launch of it.
This enthusiastic response from both Indonesians and members of
the expatriate communities encouraged the organizers to host
another one the following year in connection with the anniversary
of Jakarta, which falls on June 22.

The second year of the festival saw a turnout of 200,000
people, and this year's event coordinators, including D.A.D.,
Cipta Visual Jakarta, Stage Kemang, Expose Modeling School, and
The Kemang Community Forum (Forum Masyarakat Kemang), are
planning for an even larger attendance with more and better
events.

"The festival site, which in previous years extended one
kilometer between the McDonald's and Barbados restaurants, has
been extended an extra half-kilometer to the Kemang gas station
to accommodate the 250 booths, three stages and numerous food
stalls meant to satisfy the various interests and tastes of
visitors," Henry Situmeang explained.

The booths, located in the area stretching from McDonald's to
Barbados, are provided by RajaCraft.com and will feature crafts
and art from all over the archipelago, along with food of all
kinds. The booths between the Barbados restaurant and the Kemang
gas station will specifically feature Betawi (indigenous Jakarta)
crafts, art and other items of cultural interest and are
organized by the Kemang Community Forum. There will also be food
stalls offering traditional Betawi cakes and other dishes,
including the tasty kerak telor (a kind of omelet made with rice
and traditional spices).

Traditional Betawi music, dance and theater performances,
as well as a parade of traditional costumes specific to various
ethnic cultures found throughout Indonesia will be featured live
on the main stage, run by Indo.com and located in front of the
Adidas store. This stage will also be home to more modern
theater, musical and fashion presentations, including a
performance by the Teater Terang Bulan and Kotak Pensil troupes,
a show by local band Noin and a gala performance by the Semesta
Big Band.

"We will open the festival with a speech delivered by the
South Jakarta mayor at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and close the days'
events with a rousing fireworks display at about 9 p.m.," said
Henry Situmeang of Indo.com's plans for the big day.

The stage, located in front of the Stage Kemang building, will
offer a more contemporary program involving a hip fashion show
featuring the offerings of local Kemang boutiques and a
performance by an up-and-coming percussion group.

"We have lined up an energetic show by Duo Percussions, a
really hot new band who will be releasing their first album later
this year. This is sure to be an exciting performance," said
Erick J. Turangan of Platinum Entertainment, one of the
organizers behind the events at the Stage Kemang venue.

Among the other happenings taking place on the Kemang Street
Festival stages will be shows by various popular comedy troupes,
including Lenong Ogah Mundur and Komedi Konteksi.

On the street, visitors will also find a wide variety of
entertaining performances, such as the Betawi Ondel Ondel, the
Reog Ponorogo dance and a pantomime by Charlie and Charles. There
will also be other interesting activities, including ceramics
workshops, batik demonstrations and kite painting.

If the 2003 Kemang Street Festival runs true to its form, this
event will be a perfect opportunity to just hang out with friends
and family in a safe and neighborly environment. Young hip
singles are sure to find this the new place to be seen while
taking in the latest fashion from local boutiques and enjoying
the beats of the best bands in Greater Jakarta. And young couples
with children and grandparents in tow will certainly take delight
in the many, varied performances and delicious food to be found
at this annual gathering.

There truly will be a little bit of everything for everyone
who comes down to Kemang this Saturday.