TEMPO.CO, Jayapura - On the second day, the fifth Humboldt Bay Festival seemed to have fewer visitors compared to the first day. The festival held from August 5 to 7 on Hamadi Beach in Jayapura, Papua, was officially opened on Monday by Jayapura Mayor Benhur Tommy Mano. The first day of the festival with the theme, ‘Love, Culture and Green’ was packed with visitors.
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry responded to the public’s lack of attention on the fifth Humboldt Bay Festival.
"The local administration or committee for the festival, and even the one holding the festival, must involve all layers of the community," said Maria Mayabubun, head of the V sub-directorate of tourism destination promotions.
Maria said the local administration, through related institutions, must know how to package activities, especially those related to culture, so in the future, the people will feel like this is their event as well and not just the government’s event.
The fifth installment of this festival is the Jayapura city administration’s event included in the ministry’s calendar. Various traditional arts were performed and displayed from a number of villages on the shores of Humboldt Bay still in the region of Port Numbay, more popularly known as Jayapura. The traditional arts performed included tribal dances by tribes inhabiting the shores of Humboldt Bay, such as the Tabi tribe and Engros tribe.
Aside from that, there was also an exhibition of local cuisine and traditional souvenirs of the people of Humboldt Bay. An enormous Tumpeng Humboldt Nusantara marking Indonesia’s independence was also displayed at eight meters high containing 1945 cakes and cookies, including 5,000 wrapped papeda (sago congee, traditional Papua staple food).
CUNDING LEVI
