Maluku Dispar Affirms Cultural Festival To Become An Annual Agenda For Tourism Promotion

A dance performed at the Maluku cultural festival, at Merdeka Ambon Square, Saturday (26/8/2023) night. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Maluku Cultural Festival or people's party will be an annual agenda as an event to promote tourism, said Head of the Maluku Tourism Office, Meykal Pontoh.

"We will make this an annual agenda. Of course, we will see what strategic issues are raised in the theme of the next festival. What is clear is this is a cultural festival for Maluku," Meykal said in Ambon, Sunday, quoting Antara.

He said the cultural festival would be held every year, so that culture in Maluku and other regions could be shown again to entertain the community.

The chairman of the Kasrul Selang Cultural Festival Committee explained that at the 2023 cultural festival, the theme raised was Bhineka Tunggal Ika, which means different but united in diversity.

"There are 11 associations from various provinces in Indonesia, namely Maluku, Java, Sundanese, Batak, Padang, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Papua, and North Maluku, to contribute to displaying their respective cultures," he said.

He revealed that his party also deliberately displayed other cultures at the Maluku cultural festival with the aim of making Maluku better known to the wider community. Not only that, cultural promotion targets to other regions can also be achieved.

So those of these 11 areas who fill the event, and they broadcast directly to their area, people will know that what kind of lidi sweeping in Ambon is, what kind of washing is, what kind of washing is Meti Kei and so on. That's the target we want to achieve," explained Kasrul.

In this 2023 cultural festival, it is depicted with a boat called 'Toma Maju Ship', which symbolizes Maluku to be brought in a better direction.