Indonesia and World Tourism News

Women in RI surfing tour

The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali

The organizers of Indonesian Surfing Championships (ISC) announced Saturday that they would include a women’s division in its tour season this year.

Spokesman for the organizers, Tim Hain, said that three sponsors had already committed to including the women’s division in their events this year.

“Incredibly, without any formal announcement being sent out, six women have already come to the ISC office and signed up to get their ISC membership cards this week,” he said in a statement.

The first event will be the Roxy Open at Keramas Beach in April during the Quiksilver Open, the second will be at Legian Beach in mid-October at the Villa Mana Charity Surf event, and the season closer will be during the Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival at Kuta Beach in late October.

“The point’s leader at the end of the year will receive the women’s championship trophy at the ISC awards presentation scheduled for early November,” he added.

With the rapidly growing popularity of the sport of surfing in Indonesia, more and women are getting into it and finding that the thrill of riding waves is not only for the guys. The stigma of surfing being a purely man’s sport in Indonesia is being blunted by the alluring images of women at the beach and in the water, from the young daughters of famous Australian, American, and Hawaiian surfers in magazine ads to movies like Blue Crush and the MTV series Boarding House-North Shore.

“Not to mention movie stars like Cameron Diaz seen taking surfing lessons from Rizal Tanjung at Dreamland Beach in Bali,” Tim added.

According to him, some major international surfwear companies have created brands exclusively for the women’s market, such as Quiksilver/Roxy, Rip Curl Girl, Billabong Girls and Rusty Chix.

Bali’s own Surfer Girl is a company dedicated exclusively to providing surfing and beachwear products to women of all ages, recently adding a surfing school as well.

Rip Curl holds “Girls Go Surfing” days several times per year at their Rip Curl Surf School, inviting women and girl celebrities from Jakarta to give surfing a try alongside tourists and locals.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment February 25th, 2008

Riau jazz festival with green message

As Jakarta prepares for the upcoming Java Jazz festival, it appears jazz fever has spread beyond the capital, reaching as far as Riau province.

A jazz festival called The Malacca Strait Jazz Green Festival is scheduled be held, with support from the provincial administration, on June 5-7.

Popular local artists will fly to Riau for the festival, including guitarist Dewa Budjana and friends, Donny Suhendra Trio, Canzo, Sherly’O, Andien, Rieka Roslan & Troubadours, Zefanya H & the Uncles, Koko Harsoe, Djogdja Mood Jazz and Jon Gazali.

Carrying environmental messages, the festival will also present young artists, including talented 11-year-old pianist Zefanya and his band The Uncle.

The festival, marking its second year, was inspired by local band Geliga, which has performed jazz with an ethnic Malay touch in many festivals, including last year’s Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.

“We combine Jazz with Malay musical elements. We want to introduce Malay culture to Indonesian people and the world,” Gusrianto, Geliga’s bassist, said in a press conference in Jakarta.

Riau scholar and the festival supervisor, Yusmar Yusuf, said jazz as global music could be used as a media to attract international attention to the Malay culture.

“In this globalization era, we want to use jazz to promote our culture,” he said.

Yusmar hoped the festival would attract a local and foreign audience, especially from neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.

He said the festival was expected to complement the existing Singapore Jazz Festival, in Singapore, and the Penang Jazz Festival, in Malaysia.

As well as performances from bands and musicians, the festival’s committee will also hold discussions and coaching clinics to introduce jazz to young musicians.

Last year, the first Malacca Strait Jazz Festival, which was held to commemorate the province’s 50th anniversary, was praised by music critics as one of the best jazz festivals organized and staged outside of Jakarta.

The provincial administration has pledged to support the jazz festival by including it in its annual tourism program, as well as the government-sanctioned Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program.–A. Junaidi

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment February 25th, 2008