Nusantara Palace Festival IV to open in Yogyakarta

Nusantara Palace Festival IV to open in Yogyakarta

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

In the past, the kraton (royal palace) played a central role in
the community. It was the source of culture and an inspiration to
its people.

In today's modern world, however, in which the values of
feudalism are fading away, a kraton's very existence is
questionable. Can it maintain its role as a source of inspiration
and a place for people to take their daily problems?

It is this question that motivates members of the country's
noble families to gather periodically and participate in the
Festival of Nusantara Kraton (FKN).

This year's festival, the fourth, begins on Sunday at
Yogyakarta Palace and continues until next Friday.

Organizing committee chairman KGPH Hadiwinoto, of Yogyakarta
Palace, said this year's FKN was aimed at preserving the culture
of nobility and historical royal artifacts.

It also aims to encourage nobles to play a more significant
role in the community, without being trapped in historical
romanticism.

"Apart from preserving the nation's arts and traditions, the
custodians of palaces must also regard themselves as national
assets and help the country cope with the problems it is
encountering.

"There is no need to look back. We have to face the future
instead," said Hadiwinoto, who is the brother of Yogyakarta
Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

The organizing committee also held a series of discussions on
culture involving historians, academics and palace
representatives from throughout the country, prior to the four-
day festival.

The first meeting was held on June 9, in Riau for palaces in
the western part of Indonesia, the second on June 17 in Makasar
for those in the east, while the third was held in Surakarta,
Central Java, on June 29.

The ideas which emerged in these forums will be discussed
further in a two-day meeting to be held during the festival, from
Sept. 27 through Sept. 28.

It plans to discuss how palaces should play a role in modern
society, preserve their cultural heritage and historical
artifacts and how they should interact with the world around
them.

"Hopefully, the results will be a useful reference for
palaces, historians and respective local governments in
determining related policies," Hadiwinoto said.

In line with the festival's objective of empowering the
palaces to make them useful institutions for society, all of
those participating would be placed on an equal footing, he said.

The festival would not interfere in any internal problems of
palaces, including those Cirebon and Surakarta, each of which
currently has two rulers.

"We don't want to give legitimacy to either of the two pairs
of rulers currently in dispute by accepting or rejecting either
one of them," Hadiwinoto said,

At Cirebon Palace Sultan Saladin and Sultan Emiruddin had
registered for the festival while at Surakarta Palace both
Tedjowulan and Hangabehi would be accepted if they registered, he
said.

The opening ceremony of the Rp 2 billion-plus festival is
scheduled for Sunday evening at Jogja Expo Center (JEC). A series
of supporting events has also been prepared for the festival.

These include a tourism exhibition, a royal food festival, a
display of the palaces' heritage and historical artifacts, and a
show to present clothing worn by royalty.

"During the festival we shall also present a selection of
traditional performances such as classic dances from India, a
ketoprak (Javanese traditional drama) festival, wayang golek (a
wooden puppet show), and many other performances from throughout
the country, as well as from the participating palaces," M Helfi
Dirix of the organizing committee said.

At the conclusion on September 29, a traditional parade
involving the palaces will be held, with royalty traveling around
the ancient city on specially prepared, horse-drawn carriages.

"It's the first time a number of rulers from different palaces
will be in the same parade around the city," Helfi said.

The first festival, FKN I, was held in 1992 in Yogyakarta
while FKN II was held in 1996 in Cirebon.

FKN III, which was initially scheduled to be held in Bima, was
canceled due to the economic crisis. It was eventually held in
2002 in Kuta Kertanegara.