Netherlands' awards honors Indonesians

Netherlands' awards honors Indonesians

JAKARTA (JP): Two Indonesians will receive the 1997 Prince
Claus Awards of the Netherlands here this weekend, according to
the Embassy of the Netherlands.

Jim Supangkat, an art critic, and Sardono W. Kusumo, a
renowned dancer and choreographer, will each receive US$20,000
(Rp 100 million) from the Dutch government through its ambassador
to Indonesia P.R. Brouwer. The presentation will be held Saturday
at Erasmus Huis on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.

Jim, who is also a curator, is also being awarded for his
major role in the development and promotion of contemporary art
in and outside Indonesia.

He is also an active and important participant in the debate
on art theory in Indonesia.

Sardono is known for his capability to combine traditional
indigenous dance with modern techniques and improvisation.

His work strives to maintain the rural and ecological
foundations of traditional dance, the embassy said.

Besides the two Indonesians, a number of international figures
in their respective fields will also receive the award and prize
money. They include Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia, a music
specialist and composer from Ghana; Malangatana Valente Ngwenya,
a visual artist from Mozambique; Ernest Wamba-dia-Wamba, a
philosopher from Tanzania; Bruno Stagno, a Costa Rican architect;
and Abdeljelil Temimi, a Tunisian cultural historian.

But the first prize of US$100,000 goes to the Zimbabwe
International Book Fair, which is claimed to be the biggest
annual trade fair for African literature and an important meeting
place for African publishers.

The book fair has been awarded the prize for its enormous
contribution to the development of African literature and
cultural development.

Prince Claus established last year the Prince Claus Fund to
promote and support activities in the fields of culture and
development. (10)