DENPASAR (indo.com): Bali will host an international mask festival participated in by several foreign countries. The festival will be held at the Museum Seni Lukis Klasik Bali, Klungkung Regency, in the east of Bali from the end of November until December, 2001.

Participating countries include Argentina, Belgium, Italy and Japan. The event will be divided into three parts: the staging of various masked dances, an exhibition of fine masks from around the world, and a seminar discussing the development of mask artistry.

The Island of the Gods has been selected as the venue for the festival because it has a strong tradition of mask artistry (locally called topeng). In Bali, the
production and use of masks play important roles in many Balinese dance dramas, and some masks which are spiritually purified and stored in temples are considered sacred and as having a spirit.

The internationally renowned Balinese painter and the founding father of the museum, Nyoman Gunarsa, announced the plan for an international mask festival in east Bali last month, saying that it aimed to show that Bali was an ideal location for hosting international events despite the declining number of foreign travelers.