Minister of Culture Restui Musical Festival at Borobudur, But There are Strict Conditions

Fadli Zon expressed support for the Borobudur Symphony Festival plan, a performance that wants to combine musicals, traditional art, and collaboration between the Nusantara and Southeast Asian cultures in the Borobudur Temple area. (IST)

JAKARTA - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon expressed support for the Borobudur Symphony Festival plan, a performance that wants to combine musicals, traditional art, and collaboration between the cultures of Nusantara and Southeast Asia in the Borobudur Temple area. However, this support is not given without limits. Borobudur, said Fadli, must still be maintained as a cultural heritage site.

Fadli conveyed this attitude when receiving an audience from the Prajnaparamita Foundation at the Ministry of Culture Building, Jakarta, Tuesday, March 10. This foundation is known through the staging of Siddharta The Musical and Guan Yin The Musical.

The festival coordinator, Markus R.A. Prasetyo, said the festival was prepared as a space for cultural encounters through performing arts. According to him, Borobudur is not only a world heritage, but can also be a stage that brings together local traditions with international-class performances.

He said the culture that lives around Borobudur and Magelang also wants to be presented in the festival. "We want to convey universal values and values of goodness through art, as well as showcase the richness of local culture on one stage at Borobudur," said Markus.

Meanwhile, Deputy Coordinator for the Siddharta The Musical, Tina A. Djakaria, emphasized that this festival was not just arranged to move the performance from Jakarta to Borobudur. The concept is built on four basic principles, namely the right purpose, the right target, the right concept, and the right budget.

The festival is designed to combine three elements. First, the local wisdom of Borobudur and Magelang through the involvement of local dance groups with performances inspired by the Borobudur reliefs. Second, the diversity of the Nusantara culture through musicians and ethnic music artists from various regions. Third, the brotherhood of Southeast Asian culture through the staging of Siddharta The Musical by Asia Musical Productions Malaysia.

Fadli welcomed the idea. According to him, this kind of cultural art activity can also help revive national cultural assets so that they are more widely known by the public. "We fully support activities such as Siddharta The Musical. Moreover, previously it was also staged very well in Jakarta," said Fadli.

Even so, Fadli reminded that the implementation of events in the Borobudur area must follow the applicable provisions, ranging from sound systems, locations, to management of the area. "We are open to various cultural art activities in Borobudur, as long as they are carried out through coordination with related parties and still pay attention to the principle of preserving the area," he said.