W Sumatra Holds International Minangkabau Culture Festival in 2018

Padang, (Antara Sumbar) - West Sumatra Provincial Government plans to hold an international-scale cultural festival entitled The International Festival of Minangkabau (TIFoM) in 2018 in collaboration with Ministry of Education, Culture and Creative Economy Agency.

"This is one of the leading programs in the field of culture in 2018," Head of Cultural Office of West Sumatra, Taufik Effendi told while being contacted from Padang on Wednesday.

The event according to him will be packed professionally by involving the parties who have the competence ranging from the theme search to determine the art and cultural groups that participate by the curator.

Artists and cultural parties of West Sumatra will also be actively involved, while the government will take on the role of facilitator.

It is according to Taufik to avoid the stigma of "red plate" festival, a term that raised a number of local artists and culturalists that almost the whole process is monopolized by the government.

TIFoM is also a reincarnation of West Sumatra Cultural Week which stalled in 2014 because it was trapped in saremonial festival.

West Sumatra Culturalist, Nasrul Azwar welcomes the idea and implementation of TIFoM in 2018. But for its implementation he still doubts it for several reasons.

First, according to him, the idea has never been unfurled and involves the participation of people's minds, especially humanists, academicians, artists, and cultural activists.

The involvement of the new art community begins when the proposal has entered the Directorate General of Culture after it has been made with the RAB with the Focus Group Discussion (FGD).

Of the 100 art communities registered with Directorate General of Culture, only about 30 communities are invited, dominated by Minangkabau art community. There is no community from Nias, Mentawai, India, China, Java, Sundanese, who continuously care for culture and tradition in Ranah Minang.

"For me, it has shown that the event does not depart from deep thinking, made very hastily, and will have an impact on the quality if it is held later," he said.

The second according to Nasrul, it departs from the thinking of top. Actually, the Culture Office read well the life of culture, art, custom, and civilization from the level of nagari in West Sumatra.

Cultural events should begin at nagari level, not from the top that pursues the crowd rather than the substance.

Thirdly, if the 2018 TIFoM is realized, do not hold in Padang only. West Sumatra is not Padang. Divide to areas that are considered worthy to roll out. It is a technical matter.

Fourth, for the process of participation that will fill TIFoM must pass an objective and clear curatorial criteria, objective, and the result of its curation must be published to public as a form of accountability.

"The curator must choose a group or community of art that is really appropriate, and forbidden to choose his own group or community," he added. (cha)

Editor: Vicha Faradika