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Jakarta's tykes shine at Kids Fest
Showtime: Children take the stage during the opening of the Jakarta Kids Festival at a mall in South Jakarta on Friday
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Showtime: Children take the stage during the opening of the Jakarta Kids Festival at a mall in South Jakarta on Friday. The affair, which officially kicked off on Saturday, will stage different events, such as wayang (puppet) shows and Lego competitions, until January. (JP/Awo) (puppet) shows and Lego competitions, until January. (JP/Awo)
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span class="inline inline-none">Showtime: Children take the stage during the opening of the Jakarta Kids Festival at a mall in South Jakarta on Friday. The affair, which officially kicked off on Saturday, will stage different events, such as wayang (puppet) shows and Lego competitions, until January. (JP/Awo)
Three- and 4-year-old children lined up backstage on Friday at the atrium of Kota Kasablanka Mall, South Jakarta. Some held onto their mothers, while others quickly adjusted to the environment.
They were rehearsing for competitions and performances for the Jakarta Kids Festival's opening day on Saturday.
One mother, Fransisca, said she encouraged her daughter to participate to nurture her self-esteem.
'I want to train her to do things by herself without my help and learn to perform in front of a lot of people. My oldest daughter participated in the last festival and now we want to cheer on [my youngest],' she told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Roy, a father of two, expressed a similar sentiment. 'My daughters are shy so I want them to meet new friends and socialize.'
He added that his children were entertained by various side activities at the venue. 'They can learn to color and get exposed to cartoon characters.'
Festival advisor Cara Djalil said that organizers would stage competitive and non-competitive events during the three-day festival. 'Even though we call it a competition, we've prepared gifts for all of the participants so that the children will feel rewarded.'
Events were for kids of all ages, Cara added. 'There is a Lego competition, a fashion show and a race for children-and-father duos. We want this festival to encourage parents to bond with their children.'
The festival, which will hold other events until January, hosts a variety of activities, such as fun science projects, parent-children activities, cooking classes, wayang (puppet) events and cultural shows.
'We started activities in September, but the opening wasn't officially launched until today. We also avoided ceremonial events, because this is supposed to be all about the children,' Cara said.
'They won't like speeches.'
Cara said the festival has been taking elementary school students to visit embassies or foreign cultural centers in Jakarta on weekends. 'We have taken a group of students to the Japanese cultural center, where the children learned how to wear yukata [traditional Japanese clothing] and the philosophy of the traditional clothes.'
Kids have also had a chance to go to workplaces, albeit exciting ones.
'We have taken participants to the air traffic control, Dapur Cokelat chocolatier and to the governor's [Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama] office at City Hall. They were very excited and asked a lot of questions,' she said.
As part of its wayang project, festival organizers asked different schools to create their own two-dimensional puppets, which will be displayed at the mall during the opening.
For more information, visit jakartakidsfestival.co.id.
