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An Indonesian art and cultural performance (Antara/HO)

The ongoing global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has forced the Indonesian Government to cancel the convening of an international arts and cultural night titled "Indonesian Channel" due to be hosted by West Sumatra Province in August.

The Indonesian Channel which marks the closing of this year's Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship (IACS) Program is a special event for West Sumatra because some 140 youths from 70 countries would perform, Head of the West Sumatra Tourism Office Novrial said.

The youths were the awardees of the scholarship program in which they would perform at the arts and cultural night to show the Indonesian cultural heritage that they had learned from local art communities in seven provinces, he said.

Thanks to the IACS Program that the Indonesian Foreign Ministry has consistently been organizing since 2003, these selected youths had been given an opportunity to learn the arts and culture of genuine Indonesian heritage for around three months, he said.

During that period, they stayed at the houses of selected Indonesian families, he said, adding that their presence in West Sumatra for the Indonesian Channel in August would give them opportunities to see the beauty of the province's tourist destinations.

They would also be able to enjoy the West Sumatrans' authentic arts and cultural attractions. The Indonesian Channel would also be attended by the awardees' parents, ambassadors of the participating countries, he said.

Unfortunately, due to this ongoing coronavirus outbreak and unavailability of COVID-19 vaccine, the scheduled convening of the Indonesian Channel was then cancelled for safety reasons, Novrial said.

As published in the official website of the Indonesian Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany, the IACS Program is eligible for Indonesian and foreign youths age 21-27 to study Indonesian cultural heritage as well as immersing oneself with the local art communities in Bali, West Sumatra, East Kalimantan, East Java, Sulawesi or Yogyakarta.

This year's IACS was commenced from May 2 to Aug 20, 2020 in which on Aug 13, all awardees would perform in an arts and cultural night entitled "Indonesian Channel".

Organized since 2003, this IACS Program has had 920 alumni coming from 77 countries. They studied history, traditions, arts and cultures of various ethnic groups across the Indonesian archipelago, including traditional dances, musical instruments, and carvings. (ANTARA)