A traditional ethnic dance.
SAMBAS, Kalimantan: The restless crowd was growing bigger by the minute as they waited for artiste Cupi Cupita to appear on stage during the closing of the ‘Wonderful Indonesia Festival’ held in conjunction with Pekan Gawai Naik Dango here in West Kalimantan.
The two-day festival was hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Sambas District and Dewan Adat Dayak (DAD) Sambas.
Revered by all the Dayak communities in Kalimantan, the Naik Dango celebration is a thanksgiving to the gods for a bountiful harvest.
This year marks the 10th year that Gawai Naik Dango has been celebrated in Sambas with the Wonderful Indonesia Festival making its debut in conjunction with this celebration.
“The Gawai Dayak Naik Dango tradition is held with an aim to introduce and spread the local culture. It is hoped that this kind of event, can help cultivate creativity especially among the youths in terms of art and cultural appreciation,” said Andreas, head of Dewan Adat Dayak (DAD) Kalimantan Barat, during the closing ceremony on June 4.
Andreas said the event strengthens the cross-border relations between Kalimantan and Sarawak, as the Naik Dango event is a unique tourist attraction. A big leg-up for that would be the repairs and construction of the road from Entikong to Pontianak which are expected to be completed by end of the year.
According to Indonesian Consul-General for Sarawak Jahar Gultom, road repairs and construction will enable more visitors from Sarawak to visit Indonesian as visitors from Sarawak who travel with their own vehicles will have more comfortable access to Kalimantan via the Tebedu checkpoint.
“So when repairs and construction to the road connecting Pontianak to Kuching are completed, I am sure more visitors will come in their own vehicles,” said Jahar, adding that more effort is being carried out to attract Sarawak tourists to West Kalimantan. According to Jahar, about 30 kms of the road have yet to be completed.
“Most visitors who come here with their vehicles want to witness and celebrate ‘Naik Dango’ and we highly encourage them to visit Kalimantan,” said Jahar,
Besides that, Jahar said with the availability of direct flights from Hong Kong to Kuching, this access will escalate the number of tourists visiting Kalimantan.
Among the colourful activities held during the two-day festival were traditional dances, fashion shows featuring traditional ethnic costumes and special appearance by Indonesian artiste Cupi Cupita and Indra Syahnilam during the closing ceremony.
Among those present were Sambas Province head of Dewan Adat Dayak (DAD) Dr Bonefasius MM, deputy assistant for international tourism marketing strategy Ratna Suranti and Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry deputy marketing assistant Eddy Susilo.
The crowd during the closing ceremony of the inaugural Wonderful Indonesia Festival in Sambas.