The Fastest, Heaviest and Longest Sandeq Boat Race is Held
Mamuju, Katinting.com - The year event of the West Sulawesi Provincial Government, the Sandeq race will be held again from 11-17 August 2018. Followed by 25 sandeq boats with 13 crew members in each boat. Also enlivened by triangular contests at the Polewali, Majene and Mamuju triangles as well as numerous arts performances, folk parties, documentary film screenings, culinary parties and traditional game competitions at each stage.
The Sandeq race consists of four stages, the first stage starts from the coast of Bahari Polewali to Majene, the second stage starts from Majene to Banua Sendana, the third stage from Banua Sendana to Deking, and the fourth stage from Deking to finish at Manakarra Mamuju beach.
West Sulawesi Governor Ali Baal Masdar when chairing a meeting to prepare for the Sandeq Race in the second floor meeting room of the Governor's office on Friday (13/7) said that the Sandeq Race as an annual agenda of the West Sulawesi Provincial Government was the fastest, heaviest and longest Sandeq boat race using the Local navigation knowledge of the Passandeq that can preserve the maritime culture of the Mandar people.
The activity is expected to achieve three main objectives, namely as a means of promoting Mandar nautical culture, preservation of Mandar nautical artifacts and increasing tourist visits in West Sulawesi.
"Sandeq as our traditional boat, has become a mandar icon that is known to the world and recorded in the national agenda, this can help promote our region. Therefore, it must be preserved by starting to educate the sons of West Sulawesi to know how to make traditional sandeq boats. In the future, it is hoped that local and international tourists will be more interested in visiting West Sulawesi, "he said.
He also said, the progress of an area, one of which is also seen by the preservation of cultures that are owned from the bottom. For this reason, the environment in which the culture must also be considered. Officials are encouraged to continue to encourage local industries, such as the sandeq and silk cloth industries, to be increased and noticed.
By encouraging these local industries, we also help improve the living standards of the artisans and the people involved in them. Hopefully with this event, our local culture can go global, so the world knows that every August there is an event like this. For district governments, it is expected to take part both physically and non-physically by showing the distinctiveness of their respective regions both traditional and modified, Ali Baal explained.
In the same place, the Head of West Sulawesi Tourism Office, Farid Wajidi also asked the OPD and other stakeholders to support the success of the traditional boat race. Some stakeholders who are expected to participate are West Sulawesi Regional Police, West Sulawesi National Narcotics Agency, BKKBN, West Sulawesi DKP, BUMN and BUMD as well as mass media.