Travel festival : Pakistan’s a great place, say Indonesian children

Festival kicks off with culture show.

KARACHI:

“I think I’ll miss Karachi when I leave,” said class IV student, Dadi. The young performer was part of an Indonesian dance at a culture show on Sunday.

Other performers, Zulaikha, Reema, Mohammad Rizky, Fachrul, Sekarini, Nuka and Syamira, also said they think Pakistan is a great place to visit. People here are really nice, they told guests at the annual travel festival at a shopping mall in Clifton. Even though daily crime has spoilt Karachi’s image, it was still a “good city”.

The culture show was organised by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia and was part of the travel festival’s inauguration ceremony.

Indonesian Consul-General in Karachi Rossalis R Adenan started off the celebrations by hammering on a ring. Adenan talked of tourist attractions in Indonesia and told the audience that besides several beautiful islands, Indonesia has three time zones.

Cultural Attaché Mertia Yenni said that Pakistan and Indonesia are not only similar when it comes to culture and values but also when it comes to their problems. People in both countries are combating similar issues including poverty and terrorism but they are not afraid of bullets and bombs.

Indonesian children performed traditional dances including the Tanjung Katung, Piring, Badindin and Poco poco.

This was the 10th annual travel festival and each year a different country is promoted. Press release

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2011.