Jakarta Berlin Art Festival

Berlin - A Jakarta Berlin Art Festival was officially kicked off by Indonesian Ambassador to Germany Dr Eddy Pratomo at Admiral Palast studio here Saturday evening.

Next year, the relations between Indonesia and Germany will be 60 years, the ambassador said in his opening remarks before around 200 audience.

The art festival feature among others several Indonesian artists living in Germany.

Martin Jankowski, chairman of the organizing committee, said "Tonight the distance between Jakarta-Berlin is 0 kilometer."

Among Indonesian artists performing in the opening ceremony were Sayo, and twin pianists Sonja and Shanti Sungkono. The three artists who were born in Indonesia, have been leaving in Germany in the past 20 years. Banjar Gruppe led by Paul Gutama (77), who has been living in Berlin for more than 40 years, performed traditional gamelan music in the art festival.

Since 1993, Jakarta and Berlin have been officially twinned cities. The Jakarta Berlin Art Festival is aimed at introducing a wide range of contemporary art and cultural performances to German public.

The festival program focuses on contemporary theatre, dance and music productions from Jakarta. It also features films and documentaries as well as exhibitions and discussions.
(Uu.F001/HAJM/S012)