Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Culture Ministry encourages a development on music ecosystem, by introducing the richness of traditional percussion music at the international level.
“Our traditional percussion instruments need to be continually introduced amid world civilisation,” the Culture Minister Fadli Zon said while opening “One Decade Indonesia Drum & Percussion Festival (IDPFEST) 2026” at the Grand Theater of Taman Ismail Marzuki in Jakarta on Saturday (Sept 5).
The diversity of Indonesia’s percussion instruments is part of the nation’s cultural wealth that can be developed through performances and cross-cultural collaboration.
He also praised the continuity of IDPFEST, now in its 10th year, saying the festival’s consistent staging can serve as a space to discover and develop musical talent, especially among the younger generation.
“This is an extraordinary achievement, it can be sustainable for ten consecutive years. Hopefully, this can become one of the sources for the birth of our future musicians,” Zon said.
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Marking one decade, IDPFEST 2026 combined performance, education, appreciation, and regeneration in the development of percussion music.
The festival, initiated by musician and actor Ekki Soekarno, carried the theme “From Nature to Indonesian Music” and involved around 110 musicians and drummers from various regions.
The series of activities included music performances, education sessions, and introductions to various percussion and non-percussion instruments unique to Indonesia.
Percussion holds a fairly broad place in the archipelago’s musical tradition, with instruments made of wood, bamboo, leather, and other materials used across regional art forms, each with distinct sounds and playing techniques.
The diversity opens space for musical development through collaboration without erasing its traditional elements, with the meeting of traditional instruments and modern percussion music showcased at the festival serving as one form of this exploration.
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Translator: Sinta, Kenzu
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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