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Aceh hosts international folklore festival
The usually silent downtown of Banda Aceh erupted in noise Sunday as residents cheered on traditional dancers from other countries at the International Folklore Festival
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T
he usually silent downtown of Banda Aceh erupted in noise Sunday as residents cheered on traditional dancers from other countries at the International Folklore Festival. “I was amazed to see foreigners in their traditional attire dancing on the streets,” Fitri Sulaiman, one of the spectators, said.
Traffic came to a standstill as people crowded the streets to watch and take photos with the dancers at
the parade.
The six-day event, which kicked off on Saturday, features 180 participants from 12 countries, including Poland, Turkey, Italy, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Canada, Malaysia, Estonia and Lithuania.
Once in a blue moon: Canadian girls perform at the International Folklore Festival in Banda Aceh on Sunday, offering a rare opportunity for local residents to watch foreign performances in a place where sharia law is in force. Around 180 participants from 12 countries took part in the festival. JP/Hotli Simanjuntak
A stage was erected for the performances.
A participant from Italy said she was happy to be in the festival. She said she first heard about Aceh when the region was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
She hailed the event as Aceh’s revival.
Acehnese performers represented Indonesia at the festival last year when it was hosted in Cyprus and placed third in the competition.
Organizing committee chief Adli Adli Abdulah said the decision to have Aceh host the festival showed the world recognized the province’s acclaimed culture.
“We deserve to be proud that Aceh has become a host of the international folklore festival. This is a good opportunity to promote Indonesian culture to the world,” he said.
