By: Ciptanti Putri

Entering the second day of WWF-Indonesia's 50th Anniversary Celebration event titled "Golden Path of Love - An Offering of Love for the Earth", Taman Ismail Marzuki's Jakarta Theater Plaza turned festive. From December 16-23, 2012, the area in the courtyard of the Jakarta Theater was covered with tents. A number of statues of rare animals, such as one-horned rhinos, elephants, tigers, orangutans, and turtles, adorn the area. In the corner of the area, three stages stand tall. For those who don't know, in this place for 8 consecutive days "Pesta Rakyat" was held, a place of expression for artists and community activities that are pro-nature conservation.

A number of activities took place; eco-friendly music performances, green music competition, talk shows, art performances and expressions, stand up comedy, story teller, happening art, painting exhibition, and silent auction. Various communities actively participated in this people's party. They occupied the available tents and actively socialized their actions in support of nature conservation. The participation of these communities was free of charge.

Among the communities that seemed to have a busy tent was the Indonesian Gardening Community. In synergy with Teh Kotak, this community that encourages farming exhibited several types of plants that are easy to maintain in the home environment. More interestingly, they distributed goody bags filled with seeds and fertilizers and gave tips and tricks on how to start a gardening hobby. There was also the Couch Surfing Community, a community about traveling cheaply and effectively. People who stop by their tents can get recommendations and travel itineraries to various regions. Since yesterday, they have been distributing free travel magazines. Other communities present and equally interesting programs; Earth Hour Jakarta Community, Plastic Bag Diet Community, Parkour Jumper Community, Ciliwung National Park Community, Prosperous Village Community, 1001 Books Community, Indonesia Wild Life Photography Community, Photo Addict Community, Greenmap Community, Line Magic Community, Kemangteer Community, Kancut Blenger Blogger Community, etc.

Music artists who are pro-nature conservation also enlivened Pesta Rakyat since the first day: there were environmentally friendly music performances from Labschool, The Rombenk IKJ, Bapontar, 3 Composer, Dinda, Soul Id, Ras Muhammad. On the second day, The Side Pony performed top 40 songs in acoustic music.

Jedi, a member of Soul Id music group, expressed his hope to WWF-Indonesia. "I have known WWF-Indonesia and its programs for a long time. I hope WWF-Indonesia can change the habit of people littering and using plastic wisely. I am very concerned that our society is not aware of the dangers of this non-biodegradable waste," said Jedi.

A number of talkshows took place on the first and second day of Pesta Rakyat. In addition to those held by each community, WWF-Indonesia organized a "Socialization of Seafood Guidelines" talkshow with Riani Djangkaru and Aulia Rahman from WWF-Indonesia's Marine Program. The talkshow discussed the awareness to choose safe food from the sea in order to preserve marine life.

A number of movies were also screened. On the first day, "Age of Stupid" mesmerized the audience. This British film by director Franny Armstrong is a hybrid animation film that depicts the situation of oil scarcity in 2055. The movie screened on the second day was ""The Mirror Never Lies"", a movie set in the life of the Bajo tribe in Wakatobi. The movie recently received the Best Feature Children Film award at the Asia Pacific Film Award 2012.

Last but not least, Pesta Rakyat viewers were shaken by the jokes of the Stand Up Comedy comedians. On the first day, a group of young people from Stand Up Comedy Bekasi highlighted the unique things about their city; about the damaged roads, about garbage, etc. On the second day, the kids from North Jakarta joked about the situation and habits of road users in Jakarta.

DR. Efransjah, CEO/Executive Director of WWF-Indonesia, welcomed and appreciated the community activities at Pesta Rakyat. According to him, this activity is the beginning of synergy with the community.

"It is time for WWF-Indonesia to synergize with the community in continuing conservation messages. Through them, the academic language of the research data we collect becomes easier for the public to understand."

The People's Party is still 6 days away. Various interesting arts, cultural and community activities are not to be missed. Get the full schedule of activities at www.wwf.or.id/50

Don't miss the performance of "Golden Path of Love - An Offering of Love for the Earth" on December 22-23, 2012 at the Jakarta Theater, Taman Ismail Marzuki. The theatrical performance that illustrates WWF-Indonesia's long journey in conservation efforts in Indonesia is filled with 200 performers, a collaboration and contribution from actors, actresses, singers from various genres, musicians, modern and traditional dancers, puppeteers, models, politicians, government figures, conservation figures, entrepreneurs, and many more. The production team is led by Viky Sianipar as music director, Rani Badri Kalianda as art director, and Raden Sirait as fashion director who specifically designs nature-themed clothing to be worn by all supporters of the event. A series of artists and models will perform, including Ardina Rasti, Asty Ananta, Smitha Anjani, Andara Rainy, Luciana Zaluska, Prisia Nasution, Sharena Rizky, Anneke Djody, Tio Pakusadewo, Ubiet, Putri Ayu, Rio Febrian, Rio Silaen, Topodade, Edo Kondologit, Jamaica Café, Sruti Perwati, Danel Christianto, Ine Febriyanti, Adinia Wirasti, Ratna Riantiarno, Nungky Kusumastuti, Zivana Letisha, Qory Sandioriva, Agni Pratista, Duma Riris, Kamidia Radisty, Paula Verhoeven, Kimmy Jayanti, Filantropi, and Max5. All proceeds from the show will be donated to WWF-Indonesia's conservation programs. Tickets can be purchased at Pesta Rakyat, with prices ranging from Rp 150,000 to Rp 1,500,000.