Walisongo festival hits Yogyakarta

Walisongo festival hits Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA: Yogyakarta is hosting the second Walisongo
International Festival, which was officially opened by Yogyakarta
Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Minister of Religious
Affairs Said Agil Husin Al Munnawar at the Jogja Expo Center on
Friday.

The event's organizing committee chairman, Achmad Zaini, said
17 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC) were participating in the nine-day festival, which was
designated as a forum of culture, business and religious
activities among Muslim countries.

Representing the host country are delegates from 18 provinces
and 35 regencies.

Apart from the exhibition of commercial products, various
traditional and innovative art performances will highlight the
festival. Among other performances is the newly created Walisongo
shadow puppet show, which tells the history of nine clerics who
spread Islam throughout Java.

The first festival was held in Surabaya in 1999. Zaini said
the next event was scheduled to take place in 2004 in Jakarta to
coincide with the inauguration of the Islamic Center, which is
being built in the former red-light district of Kramat Tunggak.
-- JP