Blitar in East Java, the birthplace of Sukarno, is commemorating the life and legacy of Indonesia’s first president with a series of events in June.

Sukarno was popularly called Bung Karno, which is why the series of events in his honor has been dubbed Bung Karno Month.

“June is the month of three important moments involving Bung Karno: June 1 is the date on which Pancasila [was proclaimed], June 6 is Bung Karno’s birthday and June 21 is when Bung Karno died,” Tri Iman Prasetyono, the head of the Blitar Tourism and Culture Agency, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Read also: Bung Karno’s grave in Blitar becomes Idul Fitri holiday tourist destination

The celebrations commenced on May 31 with an event called Grebek Pancasila. The series of events included the Blitar Creative Festival (June 14-16), film screenings (June 14-19), a leather puppet show (June 15), the Indonesia dance festival and Blitar Raya art exhibition (June 16-19), a dialog of patriotism (June 17), a scientific writing competition (June 18), a national seminar on bureaucratic reform (June 20), an interfaith prayer for Bung Karno and the nation (June 20) and a visit of Bung Karno's grave (June 21).

“We arranged these events in accordance with Bung Karno’s three principles: authority in politics, independence in the economy and autonomy in culture,” Tri said.

Galuh Wardhani, 19, a resident of Ponggok district who created a sand painting for the “Bung Karno’s 1000 Faces” painting competition at Bung Karno’s graveyard, said she was happy to be involved in the event.

“It is not a permanent painting, so it is more like a performance,” she said.

Galuh used sand on glass to create a painting of Sukarno on a 3D surface. (gis/kes)

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