Taman Mini celebrates its 20th anniversary
Taman Mini celebrates its 20th anniversary
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia-in-Miniature Park is currently
holding a series of Indonesian traditional arts attractions,
until April 23, to commemorate its 20th anniversary.
The 10-day festivity was officially inaugurated by State
Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi by opening a fair on
Indonesian food on Friday morning, at the Sasono Langen Budoyo
building.
Located near the Halim Perdanakusuma in East Jakarta, the
park, locally known as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, was built
under the initiative of First Lady Tien Soeharto, and opened on
April 20, 1975.
The park's anniversary will be presided over by President
Soeharto on April 20, along with the inauguration of the new
Electric and New Energy Museum built inside the park.
The food fair opened by Minister Sugandhi, entitled I Love
Indonesian Food, ended yesterday at the Sasono Adiguno building.
During the 10-day festivities, the park will hold wayang
puppet shows and Ketoprak, a Javanese drama depicting historical
events.
Last Saturday evening the park held a puppet show, which
lasted the whole night, at the Tugu Api Pancasila plaza.
The show revealed the traditional story of Banjaran Wisanggeni
and was presented by puppeteer Ki Manteb Sudharsono.
A puppet show on the story of Kumbakarna Pralaya will be
staged at the West Java pavilion by noted puppeteer Asep Sunarya
on April 20.
The following day, puppeteer Ki Hadi Sugito will present the
story about Semar Mejang Tirtomoyo at the Electricity and New
Energy Museum.
On the same day, the Gobyok Campusari ketoprak group will
present a story entitled Aryo Penangsang.
The climax of the anniversary will be held at the Tugu Api
Pancasila plaza on April 20, with several noted artists and
comedians expected to entertain visitors.
Project
In the early stages of its construction, the park project was
attacked by critics, who accused that the project would only be
the waste of a huge amount of money.
Moreover, some residents claimed that their land, at that
site, had been acquired by the project operators through illegal
procedures.
Today the critics have been proven wrong as thousands of
people, particularly those from lower-income families, visit the
park every day, and especially on public holidays.
Unlike the exclusive foreign-oriented Fantasy World in Ancol,
North Jakarta, the Indonesian-in-Miniature park offers a variety
of attractions from each of Indonesia's 27 provinces.
Each province has a replica of its own traditional house in
the park, sometimes turning the park into a town of school
children, who are assigned to learn the customs of other
provinces. (bsr)