Musical poetry contest to be held

JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture will hold a musical poetry contest for adolescents as part of its activities designed to develop human resources.

All Indonesians aged between 15 and 22 living in Greater Jakarta are eligible to take part in the contest.

Each contestant is expected to choose one of the poems selected for the competition by the organizing committee, and to submit a copy of the music it is to be set to, by Oct. 30 at the latest.

Every contesting group will be given seven to 10 minutes to present its work, the selected poem set to an original musical score, arranged by the contestant.

The committee said in a statement that the grand final is scheduled to be held at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, on Nov. 11.

During the final, a team of judges, made up of Sapardi Djoko Damono, Franki Raden and Samsuddin Hardjakusumah, will select six finalists as winners, who will be entitled to total cash prizes of Rp 7.5 million (US$3,314.18).

The directorate will also organize another contest on "drawing and narrating" under the theme "The Indonesian people and the Environment".

The competition is open to all Indonesians, aged under 30, throughout the country. The committee did not announce whether the number of participants will be limited, given the possibility that the contest might attract a huge number of people.

It only said that participants could be either individuals or in groups, with registration for entries open until November.

The participants will vie for total cash prizes of Rp 7.5 million. The winners will be selected by a team of judges headed by cartoonist Dwi Koendoro. (29)