Jakarta. The National Children Cultural Festival 2017 was held to celebrate Universal Children’s Day on Monday (20/11) at the Teater Kecil Taman Ismail Marzuki in Jakarta.

The theme of the festival is "Kampungku yang Permai" ("My Beautiful Village"). The festival saw 250 children performers not only from Indonesia, but also from Singapore and Malaysia.

Oetari Noor Permadi, head of the Mekar Pribadi Foundation, said: "The performers will showcase art and cultural performances such as theater, dance, music, wushu and painting."

She added that the festival, in its ninth year, continues to show the cultural richness of the country and hosts foreign guests as a part of Indonesia's efforts to strengthen cultural diplomacy.

"We choose art and culture because this is the way to make most people happy," Oetari said.

The festival kicked off on Nov. 18 and ended on Nov. 20, presenting various child activities from storytelling, drawing competitions and a Panji Sindelaras story performance on Sunday afternoon.

"We are celebrating Universal Children's Day because wherever children are now, they are globally connected through various electronic devices, we realize that it has good and bad effects," he said.

Therefore, in the midst of exposure from foreign cultures, the festival is aimed at increasing passion for Indonesian culture.