Indonesia Opens Traditional Music Festival Series in Bogor

RRI.CO.ID, Bogor - Indonesia has launched the 2026 Indonesian Traditional Music Festival (FMTI) in Bogor, West Java, Saturday, 3 October 2026 as part of a national effort to preserve traditional music while encouraging innovation and wider public engagement. The festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with local communities and the Bogor Regency Government, brings together traditional musicians, artists, cultural practitioners, and communities.

The Bogor edition, known as Sangitaloka, opened the 2026 FMTI series, which will be held in 10 cities and regencies across Indonesia. Culture Minister Fadli Zon said this year’s festival carries the theme “Weaving the Shadows of Nusantara Music,” reflecting efforts to connect diverse musical traditions across Indonesia.

“We must be present in various locations that today face competition from different music genres in Indonesia and around the world,” Fadli said. He explained that the idea of weaving represents bringing different musical traditions together into a shared cultural fabric that can be preserved and developed collectively.

At the Bogor festival, the theme “Bamboo and Ritual Sounds” highlights the close relationship between bamboo, music, nature, and Sundanese culture. “The sounds produced by bamboo tell stories about the relationship between people, nature, and culture,” Fadli said, adding that music represents the spirit of culture and the pulse of a nation’s life.

Fadli noted that Indonesia has more than 1,000 traditional music forms spread across its diverse regions, including Didong from the Gayo Highlands, Dol from Bengkulu, Talempong from Tanah Datar, Gendang Beleq from Lombok, Bundengan from Wonosobo, and Angklung Gubrag from Bogor. He said traditional music should not only be protected, but also developed through new creations and innovations so that it can contribute to the cultural economy and benefit the communities that sustain it.

FMTI, which has been held annually since 2021, is scheduled to continue in Wonosobo, Maumere, Makassar, Kuningan, Aceh, Mataram, Pontianak, Bengkulu, and Batusangkar. In Bogor, Sangitaloka features traditional music groups including Jagat Layung, Kalingga, Gamelan Cibatokan, Angklung Gubrag Dogdog Lojor, Bilik Jasinga, Gamelan Ajeng, and Bajidoran, with singer Rita Tila as a guest performer.

The festival is designed not only as a performance platform, but also as a space for preserving knowledge, appreciating cultural expressions, and developing new artistic interpretations rooted in tradition. Local music practitioners were also recognized through awards for contributions to the traditional music ecosystem, preservation of Nusantara music, and FMTI governance.

The Ministry of Culture said the FMTI is part of a broader effort to strengthen Indonesia’s traditional music ecosystem through talent development, documentation, community-based innovation, and cross-generational collaboration. The ministry also aims to position traditional music as a strategic cultural sector and part of Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy, allowing traditional musical heritage to remain relevant and reach audiences both at home and on the global stage.