The 12th Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF) cultural festival will be held in Malang on 23-27 November 2023. This festival consists of a series of literacy and cultural events with a tribute to the legendary figure, Edi Sedyawati. The Malang location was chosen by the organizers because it was an important location for Edi’s research throughout his life.
Edi Sedyawati, who served as Director General of Culture at the Ministry of Education and Culture for the period 1993-1998, is an intellectual figure. Apart from being known as an archaeologist, Edi is also a dance observer. Edi died at the age of 84 on November 22 last year, exactly one year ago.
This year, BWCF 2023 highlights the spectrum of Edi Sedyawati’s dissertation entitled Carving Ganesa from the Kadiri and Singasari Period: An Overview of Art History. In his dissertation, Edi conducted research on 169 Ganesha statues. In commemoration of Edi’s research, experts on Ganesha statues both at home and abroad were invited to this event.
As Edi’s subject matter stretches from the study of the history of music, dance and theater, to contemporary dance, the Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival has accompanying events that will run for four days. Accompanying events include lectures on archeology and art, film screenings with archaeological themes, dance, art and literature performances, and a book bazaar.
This event is planned to be pre-opened at the Malang KPPN Heritage Building with a screening of the documentary film Unearthing Muara Jambi by famous director Nia Dinata. On the same day, there will be an inauguration event at Malang State University with the reading of a cultural speech by Prof. Arlo Griffiths on the Minto Inscriptions.
The Malang location was chosen considering that the Ganesha statues in Edi Sedyawati’s dissertation are often found around the Malang, Kediri and Singosari areas. With the 2023 BWCF being held in Malang, the respect for Edi Sedyawati will become more contextual.
For dance performances, BWCF will present a Kecak Teges dance performance by I Ketut Rina with dozens of residents of Teges, Peliatan Ubud, Gianyar and Bali villages. For the literary evening, BWCF will present poetry readings by Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, a legendary poet who is now in his 80s. Sutardji will be accompanied by Afrizal Malna, Jose Rizal Manua, and Malang poet Tengsoe Tjahyono.
To conclude the entire series of Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival events, on November 27 afternoon there will be a closing cultural speech from Prof. Cecep Eka Permana entitled Rereading Ancient Indonesian Art: Rock Drawings in the Maros Caves, Sulawesi and Sangkulirang, Kalimantan. In the evening, the Lordjhu group and Nova Ruth, an experimental pop band with a traditional feel, will perform in a musical performance.
Source: Tempo.co
