(Antara)

An international music and bamboo festival is set to grace Pringsewu regency in Lampung, Sumatra, on Nov. 29-30.

Bamboo has been known to play an integral role in Indonesia's culture. With 39 different bamboo species grown across the archipelago, the plant has provided local communities with daily resources, from house-building materials to musical instruments and handicrafts.

The ninth installment of the festival in Pringsewu is not without reason. The word pringsewu itself literally means "a thousand bamboo" in Javanese.

'€œHistorically, when a group of Javanese people migrated to Lampung in 1925 to avoid Dutch colonization, they resided in a region overgrown with bamboo, which they later named Pringsewu,'€ Pringsewu regent Surjadi told a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

According to Surjadi, bamboo has become an integral part of Pringsewu life. The regency has even collaborated with Lampung University to establish a bamboo nursery center to study and preserve the plant's 39 species.

He also hopes that the festival will boost the region's economic growth.

 '€œCurrently, five provinces, including Yogyakarta, Banten, Bali and West Java, have confirmed their participation in the festival,'€ said Surjadi.

Supported by the Tourism Ministry, the event is set to feature music performances, culinary events, a handicraft expo, seminars, workshops and conservation work.

Entertainers that will take part in the festival include the Bamboo Big Band from Pringsewu, Bamboo Bagea from Yogyakarta, Angklung Renteng from Pandeglang in West Java and the Awi Wanalaras gamelan ensemble from Tasikmalaya.

Visitors can also expect to sample various bamboo-inspired traditional dishes at the event such as rebung, lemang and bamboo leaf crackers.

To reach Pringsewu, visitors can take a 45-minute flight from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung's Radin Inten II Airport followed by a 30-minute drive to Pringsewu. (kes)(+)

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