Dignity for All: Building a Culture of Human Rights
October 2008
Banner photo: © Carr Clifton
Jakarta Religious Art Festival
The angklung orchestra
[© Seikyo Shimbun]
The Religious Art Festival for Peace took place at the Jakarta International Event and Convention Center on July 13, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan. The festival, attended by 5,000 people, was co-organized by Soka Gakkai Indonesia (SGI-Indonesia), the Indonesian Muslim Artists and Culturalists Institute (Lesbumi) of Nahdlatul Ulama--the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia--and the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI), Indonesia's largest youth organization.
The event aimed to promote the spirit of tolerance among religions and highlight how art and culture can transcend difference. Some 350 SGI-Indonesia members presented a spectacular show that included a children's musical, gymnastic feats, traditional Indonesian dance and women playing the angklung, a traditional bamboo instrument.
Left to right: Hiromasa Ikeda, former Indonesian President Wahid and Wahid Institute Director Yenny Wahid
[© Seikyo Shimbun]
Prior to the festival, Lesbumi, which fosters young performing artists, honored SGI President Daisaku Ikeda for his efforts to advance education and culture toward the creation of a peaceful society.
An SGI delegation headed by Hiromasa Ikeda met with Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla on July 14. Mr. Kalla expressed his appreciation for the SGI's activities and stressed the importance of dialogue in transcending racial and religious differences. On the same day, the Wahid Institute, founded by former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid to promote pluralism in Indonesia, presented an award for the SGI President's contributions to peace through education and culture.
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