The Equatorial Carnival Culminates Indonesia's 70th Independence Day Festivities
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day, the national government in cooperation with the “Indonesia’s 70 Years Independence Let’s Work Committee (G70)” presents a special Indonesian Archipelago cultural parade entitled Karnaval Khatulistiwa or the Equatorial Carnival. This special event which is also the culmination of 70th. Indonesia’s Independence Day on 17 August, will take place on 22nd August 2015 at Pontianak, capital city of West Kalimantan Province.
The event also marks the city of Pontianak as the first city outside the capital city of Jakarta to host this pinnacle event commemorating Indonesia’s Independence Day .
Intended to build up the spirit of optimism of all regions within the archipelago to face future challenges, the carnival involves participation of all 34 provinces and 14 cities/regencies of West Kalimantan itself.
The Equatorial Carnival will be highlighted with a series of activities on land and on the water (river) ; there will be a grand entertainment stage which will feature a number of renowned national singers and bands. The carnival itself will be presented with a special design that embraces all ethnicities, an Indonesian atmosphere, and special lighting . The show has involved a number of special curators.
The Carnival will commence with a bang at 14.00 West Indonesia Time when 70 cannon shots will mark the 70th anniversary of the country. The Carnival will start from Bentang House (The traditional house of West Kalimantan) and continues for 5 km before reaching the finish line at the Kapuas Square. The carnival on land will feature decorated floats and hundreds of participants dressed in traditional Dayak and Malay costumes. The organizing committee has prepared no less than 500 Dayak dancers and 50 art groups for the carnival.
While the unique water carnival will be highlighted with decorated boats which will be flagged off by the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo , equally accompanied by cannon shots from the dock at the Sultan Abdurrahman Mosque which was built in 1771 and is the oldest mosque in the province.
The parade of 1,500 decorated bandong boats, klotok boats, and other smaller boats will fill the Kapuas River. With a total length of 1,143km the Kapuas River is the longest river in Indonesia. As many as 6 to 10 decorated boats will cruise side by side from the little Kapuas River towards the greater Kapuas River. The festivities will continue in the evening at the entertainment stage with performances from popular national entertainers such as Slank, Ello, and a number of local artists.
The national event will also be a folk festival which involves thousands of local communities, art enthusiasts, cultural and public figures, as well as other elements of society. President Joko Widodo along with a number of ministers are scheduled to attend and officially open the event. Aside from building the spirit of independence and optimism, the event is also aimed at boosting the creativity of local communities and promote traditional art as an entertainment form.
The State Secretariat Minister Pratikno explained that the Equatorial Carnival is based on the slogan of the 70th year commemoration of Indonesia’s Independence Day which is “Let’s Work”. The year 2015 marks 70 years since Indonesia declared her Independence , a milestone and the perfect momentum to harness all energies to take a giant leap towards a century of Indonesia’s Independence.
“Right now we are faced with challenges such as the slow growth of the economy, however, as a nation with huge potentials we need to stay optimistic that together we can overcome all challenges. We will show the world that we are a great, pluralistic, a peace-loving, and creative nation. There are abundant equatorial resources that we can show to the world. The carnival also acts as an expo displaying an optimistic Indonesia. Through the carnival we will show that we can build synergy not only within the government, but also with artists and artisans, businessmen, local authorities, and more” added the Minister.
Meanwhile Chief of Public Relations of West Kalimantan Province, Numsuan Madsun, explained that Pontianak was chosen to host the pinnacle of the 70th year commemoration of Indonesian Independence since the carnival’s concept combines the element of land and water. The city of Pontianak perfectly reflects a region that is directly crossed by the equatorial line that has many great rivers running through it and directly borders a neighboring country. The carnival is designed to fuse the richness of Indonesia’s land and water resources. The carnival is also a perfect illustration of the fact that the Indonesian Archipelago consists 75% of sea and water.
source: Indonesia.Travel
