Millennium art festival provides exotic choices

JAKARTA (JP): Various activities -- ranging from theatrical performance, contemporary wayang shows, traditional dance, pantomime, pop music, jazz and classical music -- will entertain art lovers at the Exotic Millennium Art Festival this month.

Scheduled to be held from July 15 to July 17, the art festival is part of the sixth Religious and Moral Teachings meeting at Megamendung village in Bogor, West Java, from July 13 to July 18.

The meeting is held annually by the Pandita Sabha Buddha Dharma Indonesia Foundation.

Artists including poet Sitok Srengenge, puppeteer and singer Sujiwo Tejo and pop vocalist Nugie will perform at the art festival, organized by the foundation along with Aiko Senosoenoto of Eksotika Karmawibhangga.

Both the art festival and the meeting are scheduled to take place in Myogan-ji temple's complex in Megamendung village.

According to the event's organizer Yuliani, the meeting aims to prepare Indonesian youths, encouraging them to have a more democratic way of thinking in their daily lives.

Taking Millennium Avant-garde as its theme the event's motto, I am who I am, is expected to make people -- especially youngsters -- avoid the long existing uniform way of thinking and eliminate as much as possible the often seen hypocrisy in carrying out opinions.

Apart from the art festival the meeting will also hold discussions on several topics including eroticism, marriage and the relationship between males and females.

Around 800 participants from 12 contingents and cities are expected to take part in the event. The participants are from Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, West Java, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Ujungpandang, Bali, Riau and as far as Singapore and Malaysia.

Participants will present their views and ideas, debate issues and then translate their interpretations into theater and art installations, entitled Democracy.(Irene Sugiharto)