In Purbalingga, migrants give back to their hometown through festival

Hundreds of successful migrants from Purbalingga, Central Java, held a three-day festival, showcasing various local products, cultural exhibitions and performances by national musicians.

The festival, which received a warm response from local residents, is held annually in Limbasari village in Bobotsari district, Purbalingga, by successful migrants who return to their hometown during the Idul Fitri holiday.

“The festival is wholly funded by around 300 migrants. We want to give back to our hometown after leaving it for a whole year,” said Ahmadi, 43, a member of the organizing committee.

Ahmadi said the festival featured various locally made products, like brooms, kitchen utensils, doormats, beds, and local cuisine. The migrants, he said, were expected to buy the goods, and therefore could promote the products to their colleagues in the cities where they work.

“We hope that these local and home-industry products from Purbalingga can be more famous in big cities in Indonesia,” he said.

According to Ahmadi, millions of rupiah circulate through the festival because migrants usually buy products in large quantities.

“They buy them as gifts for their colleagues and neighbors when they go back to their cities. Some even plan to resell them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Limbasari village head Agus Machi said that he was very proud of the migrants who really cared about their hometown. He said he did not use any of the village's budget to finance the festival.

“We only leant them the use of the Village Hall and its yard,” Agus said.(riz)