The Toraja International Festival is a unique festival that brings together on the same stage renowned musicians from all continents and musicians from the interiors of the Indonesian archipelago. Its formula of afternoon informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts, followed by evening performances on the main stage has proven to be a hit with the audience, wh
o come from near and far. The festival provides a platform for exchanges and a meeting point of music, dance and dialogue between foreign artists and artists from all over Indonesia. In this melting-pot of musical fusion, the festival invites players of jazz, pop, rock and contemporary World music to explore new avenues. The mission of the Toraja International Festival is not only to bring art, music and cultures together but to educate and put into practice eco and sustainable practices in a new era of tourism. This year we are featuring an educational Permaculture workshop with an emphasis on protecting the environment for the future of Toraja. The festival site also sets up a variety of food and drink stalls, an arts, textiles, handicrafts and jewellry exhibit area as well as a festival memorabilia, CDs by the performing artists, all this contributing to a fun filled, wholesome festival experience in the midst of an ancient, megalithic Toraja village. The Toraja International Festival, a not-to-be-missed occasion, guarantees a smashing time in the heart of the Tana Toraja! Toraja
The festival is set in the ancient village of Kete Kesu in Rantepao in central highlands of the megalithic Tana Toraja. Toraja is located in the South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia and home to the Toraja ethnic group. A trip to Tana Toraja is like a cultural documentary brought to life. Sweeping and elaborately painted houses with boat-shaped roofs dot terraced rice paddies where farmers work the fields alongside their doe-eyed buffalo. It’s an island hemmed in by mountains on all sides and rich with traditional culture. Life for the Toraja revolves around death, and their days are spent earning the money to send away their dead properly. Funeral ceremonies bring together families who may have dispersed as far as Papua or even Australia. Buffalo and pigs are sacrificed, there is a slew of traditional dances and enough food and drink for everyone who can make it to the party. High-class Toraja are entombed in cave graves or hanging graves in the steep cliffs, which are guarded over by tau tau (life-sized wooden effigies) carved in their image – you’ll find these eerie yet beautiful cliff cemeteries scattered throughout the region. Tana Toraja also offers some great do-it-yourself trekking opportunities where you can explore the fresh and clean outdoors and meet some of the most hospitable people you’ll ever encounter.
