Yogyakarta hosts puppetry congress

YOGYAKARTA: Local and international delegates convened for a five-day puppetry congress in Yogyakarta, which began on Wednesday night.

The delegates included puppeteers and puppetry experts from a number of counties such as Japan, Malaysia, Suriname, Australia and the United States.

"Even puppet collectors are also in attendance. Currently, the congress participants are numbering more than 500," event committee chief Nur Satwiko said.

The 2005 Puppetry Congress, aimed at preserving educational values of traditional leather puppets for the younger generations by revitalizing them in the current globalized era, was officially opened by Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hemengkubuwono X.

The congress, being held at the Sultan's Yogyakarta royal palace, will end on Sunday. --JP