Bali Institute to establish `global village'

Local and international scholars said Thursday they planned to set up a "global village" in Bali to provide a forum for intercultural and interreligious studies.

Initiated by Marcia Jeffee from the United States, Balinese art aficionado Anak Agung Rai, I Gede Ardika and other noted individuals, the global village will be established in Pengosekan village near Ubud.

Bali Institute director Ilham Isaac Zikri said the village would strive to become a center of information, research and study for people seeking to learn about Balinese and other cultures.

"Many people come to Bali just to enjoy its natural and cultural beauty," he said.

"Only a few really want to learn more about the people, the culture, the socioeconomic condition and other issues."

Jeffee, the Bali Institute founder, said the village would also become an important venue for many local and international gatherings.

"We have organized four international-scale events involving hundreds of scholars across the globe, including Nobel laureates like Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa," she said.

Ardika, the former culture and tourism minister, said Bali already had a community-based tourist village in Pemuteran, Buleleng, in the island's north Established by the environmentalist Anak Agung Prana, the quiet fishing village was transformed into an environmentally friendly tourist resort.

Prana involved local fishermen in developing community-based tourism. Local residents are responsible for keeping land and sea pollution in the area to a minimum and for attracting more visitors to the village.

They are also tasked with preventing illegal fishing and coral reef destruction.

The Wisnu Foundation has also set up its own Village-Based Tourism Network,