Traditional arts lure visitors to Jakarta Fair
Traditional arts lure visitors to Jakarta Fair
By M. Arief Suditomo
JAKARTA (JP): The charm of the traditional arts displayed at
the 23 provincial pavilions at the 1994 Jakarta Fair are drawing
as many visitors as ever before.
At the weekend, the West Sumatra pavilion captivated the
people drooping by with a display of glittering embroidery on
velvet wedding gowns, traditional silk songket sarongs and
ceramics.
Zahlul Yullers, the pavilion manager, told The Jakarta Post
that the embroidery work is the most popular item there and lots
of people had come to buy the wedding gowns at Rp. 350,000
(US$162) apiece.
He said that since the Fair opened on June 18, the pavilion
had amassed Rp 5,2 million (US$2,410).
The pavilion also displays simple agricultural machinery
produced by the West Sumatra Industrial Office under the
sponsorship of the government of Germany.
Traditional art also dominates the displays at most of the
other provincial pavilions. Dayak tribal wood carvings are
featured in the decoration of the East Kalimantan pavilion, while
the Central Java exhibition stall was patterned on the Joglo
traditional wooden house.
Amanullah Ramli, the manager of the East Kalimantan pavilion,
said that the public's attention to the province's traditional
arts, handicrafts and home industry products has been
overwhelming.
Many people could be seen purchasing the traditional
accessories made of colorful beads.
Amanullah said that durian cake called lempok was almost sold
out.
"We brought around 500 kilograms of lempok from Samarinda and
now there are only 10 kilograms left," he said.
The cake is made of durian, Southeast Asia's king of fruits,
mixed with brown sugar. The fruit's distinctive odor is very
popular among people of this part of the world, but only certain
Indonesian provinces produce the cake.
The most attractive items in the Central Java display are
statues which are made from used cans, batik paintings and wood
carvings.
Sunaryo, a staff member of Central Java's provincial
administration, said that the items attracted mostly women.
Sadly, the traditional atmosphere was absent in Jakarta's
pavilion, which displays only photographs and shows a ten-minute
movie featuring women's activities.
The pavillion looks very much like a government office, with
the decoration having a dearth of traditional touches.
The only Betawi (indigenous Jakarta) tradition apparent at the
Fair is the two giant ondel-ondel puppets welcoming visitors at
the main gate.
Four provinces are not taking part in this year's fair. They
are Bali, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Southeast Sulawesi.
Visitors
The Jakarta Fair is no doubt becoming more popular among the
public, in particular the school children, who are on holiday in
this month and next.
There was a nine-percent increase in the number of visitors
during the first seven days of the Fair compared to the same
period last year. Over 394,592 people visited the Fair during the
first week alone, while last year the number only reached
353,787.
About 71,705 came to see the opening ceremony, nearly doubling
1993's attendance figure.
Last Saturday night alone 142,448 people visited the Fair, the
organizing committee said.
A major factor contributing to the increase may be the
Dinosaur Park, which is attracting people of all ages.
Major problems that continue to frustrate visitors are traffic
jams, lack of parking space surrounding the main gates and
neglected litter scattered all over the ground.