As part of its work program for the first 100 days, the Department of Culture and Tourism in the Second United Indonesia Cabinet has presented the “President’s Cup Sasando Music Festival,” in cooperation with the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial Government. This event, held from 17 to 20 December 2009 in Kupang, NTT, was suggested by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, when he visited Kupang in June 2009. 
With the theme Ku Yakin Sampai Di Sana (“I’m Sure I’ll Get There”), the festival aimed to protect, develop and promote this traditional art form. Sasando music, originating from the island of Rote, is an invaluable cultural asset of Eastern Indonesia. The purpose of the festival is both to preserve sasando music and to make it more popular with the younger generation, to counterbalance the trend toward pop music.
“More than simply preventing its extinction, through this activity we’re also hoping to raise the profile of sasando music to the national and even international levels. This is an important step to preserve traditional arts, which we plan to expand to other art forms in Indonesia,” said Ir. Jero Wacik SE, the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism.
As well as music performances, the festival also included seminars, competitions, exhibitions and an award ceremony. A seminar on the topic “Sasando in the perspective of the nation’s music” involving artists from NTT and Rote was held on 17 December 2009 at Hotel Kristal, Kupang. The competition was held on 18 December at the main hall of the NTT Governor’s residence, with around 300 participants from the city of Kupang, Kupang Regency, and Rote Ndao Regency. There were four categories in the competition: individual Sasando Gong, group Sasando Gong, individual Sasando Biola and group Sasando Biola.
The culmination of the President’s Cup Sasando Music Festival was a Sasando music concert and awards ceremony at El Tari Hall in Kupang. The concert featured Sasando Gong music and an orchestral collaboration with sasando music conducted by Dwiki Darmawan. As well as the competition for the President’s Cup for sasando music, awards were also given by the Minister of Culture and Tourism to three important figures in the preservation of Sasando.
Through this festival, all elements of society have come to know and recognize the sasando as a musical instrument of the Indonesian nation. This will bring added value in the form of increased economic activity, leading to enhanced prosperity.

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