"I want an event like this to be developed as an annual event, a regular event. I am very happy to see young people get involved in it. This is a space for expression and for us to preserve culture and art," Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa said on Friday evening (June 27).
Puspa said the festival did not just offer Balinese trinkets and goods, but also symbolized the efforts to preserve the region's arts, culture, and tourism.
The festival highlights Saba Village's rarely-seen wealth of culture, introduced to the public, particularly youth who are expected to carry on the legacy into the future.
The festival showcases a cultural parade, traditional music, competitions, product exhibition, the Awatara Krisna colossal dance, and a fashion show.
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The deputy minister also expected the host of the festival to register the intellectual property rights of all cultural and art works showcased immediately to gain legal protection.
"We want to encourage more culture-based events created and managed by Indonesian youths," Puspa stressed.
She expressed her commitment to promoting these kinds of events so they become known globally.
The host of the event, Gusti Ngurah Anom, said that he aims to promote change and benefit the Balinese people, all without abandoning their culture in modern times.
"What I get, I give them back to Balinese people. By doing so, Bali's arts and culture are not extinct in the future. Instead, they keep on living, and we will develop micro, small, and medium enterprises in Bali," Anom, colloquially nicknamed Ajik Krisna, said.
For his deeds, President Prabowo Subianto's special envoy for youth and artist development, Raffi Ahmad, called Ajik an inspirational hero for Bali.
"This festival is very much in line with the president's directive regarding village development as stipulated in his administration's Asta Cita (Eight Missions)," Ahmad said.
Pushing for development from the smallest unit of society is important to pursue economic equality and poverty eradication, he added.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma Shanti, Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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