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No work, all play at traditional children's games fair
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A couple play a traditional game at the traditional children's game fair in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Palmerah, West Jakarta, on Feb. 22. (Bentara Budaya Jakarta's Twitter/File)
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traditional children's game fair is currently being held at the Bentara Budaya Jakarta (BBJ) cultural institute in Palmerah, West Jakarta, and will run until Feb. 28.
Titled "Menyelami Kegairahan Masa Kecil” (Delving into Childhood Passion), the event that is presented by BBJ in collaboration with Gudang Dolanan Indonesia traditional games community invites visitors to try to play various traditional toys and games, such as gasing (tops spinning), pletokan (a small, gun-type toy made of bamboo), engsreng (a game where participants push bicycle wheels using stick) and sundah manda (hopscotch).
“This event aims to recall the values in traditional Indonesian children's games, which include the spirit of togetherness, excitement of finding a new way to play, courage to socialize and sportsmanship,” said BBJ manager Paulina Dinartisti.
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“Nowadays, it has become harder to feel the joy of playing together, especially in the urban area,” said Gudang Dolanan Indonesia founder and event curator Endi Aras, adding that traditional games were becoming unpopular in this digital era, which threatened the development of children’s creativity.
Aside from playing games, visitors are also expected to discover the creativity of the fun, culturally rich games from various areas in Indonesia.
The fair is also scheduled to host a discussion featuring senior journalist and cultural observer Arswendo Atmowiloto and artist Shahnaz Haque on Feb. 25. (kes)
