RI's first book village set to open next year

RI's first book village set to open next year

Sri Wahyuni
The Jakarta Post
Magelang, Central Java

If everything goes as planned, the first Indonesian book village
in Magelang, Central Java will be ready for a grand opening and
be fully operational early next year.

"We are currently preparing some additional buildings, like
the one to house the Book Information Center," Surasmono, head of
Magelang mayoralty planning office.

The Taman Kyai Langgeng Book Village was launched recently by
Minister of National Education Malik Fadjar. It was based on
cooperation between Magelang mayoralty administration and the
Association of Indonesian Book Publishers (IKAPI) and has adopted
the concept of a book town established in Hay-on-Way, Wales,
England in 1961.

As an initial step, a number of supporting facilities have
been prepared, made up mostly of existing buildings and
facilities. These include bamboo book kiosks, open-air reading
spaces, and traditional restaurants warung as they are called
locally, offering specific menus and village-like themes.

Open stages and halls have also been provided for conducting
performing arts and other supporting activities like book
launchings, discussions, and various kinds of competitions.
Festivals celebrating painting, book covers, illustrations and
writing will also be held at the site.

A book information center, with internet facilities will also
be set up as part of the book village in Taman Kyai Langgeng
park.

A series of activities to promote events in the book village
are also being prepared. These include distributing leaflets,
raising banners, and advertising on radio, television, and
through the local administration's website
(www.kotamagelang.com).

Covering an area of 27 hectares, Taman Kyai Langgeng
recreational and educational park was chosen due to central
location and excellent facilities.

The park is also home to 800 kinds of rare plants from across
the country, and various birds. It also has open stages,
playgrounds and restaurants. At certain times, the park hosts
various traditional performances.

The park has been a main source of income for the local
administration, raising nearly Rp 500 million a year. Last year,
nearly a million tourists from the neighboring cities of
Yogyakarta, Semarang and Surakarta visited the park.

"With all its facilities, Taman Kyai Langgeng meets all the
requirements required to become a book village," IKAPI's Chairman
Makfudin Wirya Atmaja said.

Magelang, similarly, is also considered to have all the
requirements to host the book village. Apart from its strategic
position as the transit town connecting two major cities,
Semarang (Central Java) and Yogyakarta, the town is also a
center of tourism and culture.

"We plan to have a biennial book town festival to attract
international visitors to the city," Magelang Mayor Fahriyanto
said.

The local administration is also preparing an institute to
manage the book village. At present, the city's library division
is managing the book village under its planning agency and
education office.

According to Makfudin, Taman Kyai Langgeng Book Village would
be the second book village in Southeast Asia after Malaysia Book
Village was set up in Langkawi in 1997, and the 21st in the
world.

The other book towns are in the U.K. (three), Belgium (two),
France (three), Japan (two), the Netherlands, Norway, the U.S.
(two), Switzerland, Germany (two), Finland and Canada.