There is a saying in Aceh that weapons should stop firing when the rapai drum is beaten.

Rapai drum-playing festival will take place in the capital city of Banda Aceh on Sunday when a peace deal will be signed in Helsinki between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)

"I feel optimistic that with this festival. There will be peace in Aceh. Previous generations of Acehnese have proven it and now we must try," said Syamsuddin Jalil, a cultural observer who has experience in organizing festival featuring rapai drum playing.

Banda Aceh hosts drum carnival against the background that the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) concluded in July a fifth round of talks in Helsinki, producing a deal that could end decades of separatist fighting in the province and is scheduled to be signed on Monday.

Rapai pase is an Acehnese traditional drum that originated from Pase in North Aceh.

The round instrument, made of wood and leather and measuring around 100 cm in diameter, is also said to have been used to mark the arrival of Islam in Pase. It is usually played during traditional rites or historical events.

The art form almost vanished during the decades of conflict and has never been played in public for the last 10 years.

By playing drums collectively and belting out religious and peace-themed lyrics, the drummers usually deliver the spirit of peace.

Rapai drum playing demands skill and strong physical powers. That is why most of the drummers were older gentlemen.

"I hope that when the rapai music fills the air, peace will come true in Aceh," said 52-year-old Syamsuddin.

For twice the Indonesian government and GAM have signed a truce, but both were proven short-lived.

Under then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, both parties agreed upon a humanitarian pause following the first ever negotiation with GAM in 2000, but it quickly broke down.

Gus Dur's successor Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered a major offensive against GAM under a martial law only five months after the second cease fire signed in December 2002.

The third chance for peace came only after tsunami killed nearly 130,000 people in Aceh last December.

Both the government and the GAM agreed to cease fire and started peace talks in Finland, which resulted in the peace deal to be signed, as well as celebrated, on Sunday.

Source: Xinhua