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Banyuwangi artists perform at Janadriyah Festival in Saudi Arabia
Artists from Banyuwangi regency in East Java performed at the largest cultural festival in Saudi Arabia.
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Ijen crater in Banyuwangi under a pink sunrise. (Shutterstock/File)
T
wenty artists from the East Java regency of Banyuwangi performed at the 33rd Janadriyah Festival cultural event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this month.
Banyuwangi traditional performances such as Kuntulan, Hadrah and Kundaran were performed for four days at the event.
“Alhamdulillah (thank God) we performed Hadrah for the first time at the festival last night,” Dwi Agus Cahyono, one of the participants, told kompas.com on Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Read also: Banyuwangi at center of next tourism drive in Europe
Dwi, who founded Kuwung Wetan dance studio, stated that Riyadh’s low temperature was one of the challenges they faced. “Performing in Saudi Arabia is a form of appreciation for us. […] Many people wanted to take photos with us after the show,” Dwi said.
Banyuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar Anas said the opportunity originated from an invitation from the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Riyadh. “The chance [to perform at the festival] would hardly happen again, so I asked the participants to use it well to promote Banyuwangi,” said Anas.
The annual festival is said to be the largest in the country, attracting around 12 million visitors each year. This year’s event was opened by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with Indonesia being the guest of honor. (wir/wng)
