RI improves diplomacy through cultural exchange

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta | Tue, 10/20/2009 1:24 PM

Foreign artists taking part in the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship play traditional West Javanese music during their grand performance in Pura Mangkunegaran hall in Surakarta, Central Java, on Sunday night. This year’s scholarship program was joined by 55 artists from 31 countries. They studied traditional Indonesian music in Bandung, Yoyakarta, Surakarta and Denpasar during the three-month program, which is sponsored by the Foreign Ministry. JP/Blotank Poer

Eight women and four men in Javanese costume danced to fast-tempo gamelan, (Javanese traditional music) played by musicians also wearing Javanese costume.

Indonesia Channel 2009, a dance and music festival, was performed by 50 students from 31 countries who were granted 2009 Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarships from the Foreign Ministry.

The performance took place in the Mangkunegaran Palace, or Pura Mangkunegan, courtyard in Pamedan, Surakarta, Central Java, and was well-received by its audience on Sunday night.

The artists performed at least nine Balinese, Sundanese and Javanese traditional dances accompanied by traditional music also played by the foreign students.

The performance - titled "One World, Diverse Culture, One Destiny"- showcased what the students had learned over nearly three months at various art workshops in Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Bandung and Surakarta.

Besides learning more about culture, dance and music, the students were also taught how to make batik and other crafts such as pottery.

"I can now make five batik motifs and six pottery objects," said a student from Azerbaijan, Leyla Haziyewa.

A student from South Africa, Moses Seemise, said his stay in Indonesia for the past three months had been an extraordinary experience.

"It has made me realize the importance of culture, and therefore I can appreciate my African heritage more," he said.

In his keynote speech, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said the event was a program developed to promote Indonesia's cultural wealth.

"Building international bonds through cultural activitie is very effective," Hassan said about the program.

The event was attended by 11 ambassadors and diplomatic staff from participating countries, as well as Indonesia's Foreign Ministry officials and the mayor of Surakarta.

The students also played the angklung and performed Michael Jackson's well-known "Black or White", encouraging the audience to join in.

The students came from countries such as the United States, Great Britain, Singapore and other countries, however some people commented their costumes made them look very Indonesian.

They also performed the Sundanese drum performance, Rampak Gendang, and displayed exceptional skill when playing Sundanese percussion instruments.

They also performed the Balinese Kecak dance and sang the Java-nese song, "Gambang Suling", with Balinese musical instrument accompaniment.

During their time in Indonesia, the 50 students were taught in a number of studios, such as the Mang Udjo Angklung studio in Bandung, Soerya Sumorat dance studio in Surakarta, Sekar Setaman studio in Yogyakarta and Semarandana arts studio in Denpasar.

A film producer who attended the event expressed his admiration for the performers.

"I couldn't believe they performed so well after only around three-months training.

"They could have been professionals they were so good," he told The Jakarta Post.

Yogyakarta held carnival to celebrate anniversary

The Jakarta Post,  Sun, 10/18/2009

Celebration of cultural unity: Residents and artists take part in Jogja Java Carnival
to celebrate the 253rd anniversary of Yogjakarta on Jl. Malioboro. (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)

Fourteen hundred people participated in the Jogja Java Carnival themed “Past, Present, and Future,” held on Saturday night to celebrate the 253rd anniversary of the city.

Traditional musicians using bamboo instruments and sultanate soldiers were among the participants of the carnival, which was watched by thousands of spectators.

Yogyakarta Sultan Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X also attended the festival.

Jero Wacik to lead culture and tourism ministry

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 10/17/2009 9:49 PM

Jero Wacik, who recently resigned as the Culture and Tourism Minister, would occupy the same post in the upcoming cabinet after being interviewed by President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"President Yudhoyono instructed me to use an improving image of Indonesia to lure more tourists and increase state revenue," he said as quoted by Kompas.com

Jero is one of key figures behind the victory of Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono in the July 9 Presidential Election.

Earlier this month, he relinquished his ministerial post and preferred to be installed as a new legislator.

127 foreign buyers to attend tourism expo in Lombok

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, West Lombok | Sat, 10/17/2009 1:11 pm

At least 127 overseas buyers are expected to attend the 2009 Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (TIME) in Senggigi, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, from Oct. 16 to 19.

The buyers will come from 25 countries, including Australia, Brazil and the United States, as well as from Europe and Asia.

The 15th annual TIME trade fair will feature 119 sellers from 97 tour companies in 16 provinces from across the country offering their tour products, such as from Jakarta, Bali, Central Java and East Kalimantan.

The event, organized by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI) and involving all elements of the tourism sector in Indonesia, is being held for the first time in Lombok.

This year's TIME organizing committee head, Meyty Robot, said Thursday the international tourism exposition would concurrently promote Lombok's tourism potential.

"People all around the world know about Bali and Lombok, but Lombok is not yet a major tourist destination," Meyty said at a press conference in Senggigi.

"Through TIME, we wish to also promote tourism in Lombok so buyers can see for themselves the potential in Lombok."

TIME is a venue for tour operators and supporting industries in Indonesia to promote various domestic tourism products and services to tour operators from across the globe.

This year's event will not be held in a convention hall, but rather in a 10-by-200-meter tent set up on Senggigi Beach, right in front of the Santosa Senggigi Hotel and Resort.

West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor H.M. Badrul Munir said he expected the event to be able to make a real contribution to the development of tourism in the province.

"Based on calculations, we could spend more than Rp 65 billion *US$6.5 million* promoting our in 25 countries, which is a huge amount, but with TIME, the provincial administration only has to pay Rp 5 billion to organize the event," he said.

Badrul added tourism was the province's second-biggest earner after agriculture. The sector is expected to contribute more to the local economy, particularly after the Lombok International Airport begins operating in 2010.

Badrul said TIME would also help the province reach its target of bringing in 1 million visitors annually under the Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012 program, up from the current 600,000 tourist arrivals a year.

The number of participants at the 15th TIME in Lombok is an increase from that at the previous TIME, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, which was attended by 104 participants from 21 countries and resulted in total estimated transactions of $15.2 million.

Future master

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 10/17/2009 8:34 PM

Future master: Adam Hilmi Habibi, 7, performs a Javanese shadow puppet show during a junior puppet master festival in Jatinegara, East Jakarta. The event on Saturday highlighted a post-Ramadan get-together held by the Indonesian Puppet Masters Association. – JP/J. Adiguna

Only a few ministers to stay: Yudhoyono

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/16/2009 5:32 PM

Farewell gathering: President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (center), accompanied by outgoing vice president Jusuf Kalla, bids farewell to outgoing Cabinet ministers at the state palace on Friday. (Antara/Widodo S. JusufAntara/Widodo S. Jusuf.)

President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono confirmed on Friday only a few of the current Cabinet ministers would serve for another five-year term.

“Only a small number of them will continue their term in office and join the second United Indonesia Cabinet. Therefore, I thank them,” Yudhoyono said during a farewell party for Cabinet ministers at the State Palace.

Yudhoyono would not go into details about who among the current ministers will assist him in his second term in office.

A number of ministers, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu and State Secretary Hatta Radjasa, have been widely touted to extend their terms as Cabinet ministers.

Yudhoyono started calling his ministerial candidates on Thursday evening and will interview them and require them to undergo a medical checkup. The new Cabinet lineup will be announced on Wednesday, a day after Yudhoyono’s inauguration as the president for 2009-2014 period.

Congratulation

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 10/16/2009 1:45 PM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second left) congratulates Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh Rahman (Yenny) Wahid, the daughter of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, at a reception of her marriage with Dhohir Faris (Faris) at Ciganjur in Jakarta on Thursday. The President was accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono. (Presidential Palace)

‘Beyond the Dutch’ opens in Utrecht

The Jakarta Post, Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Utrecht | Thu, 10/15/2009 9:44 AM

The exhibition “Beyond the Dutch” is a retrospective designed to give an insight into the influence of Dutch culture on Indonesian visual arts and vice versa.

Curated by Meta Knol with the assistance of Enin Supryanto, the exhibition focuses on three periods, beginning with the colonial period around 1900, the period of decolonization and independence around 1950 and the present time, from about 2000.

Every period is represented by a selection of works, amounting to 40 artists, including Raden Saleh, Abdullah Suriosubroto, Jan Toorop, Isaac Israels, Affandi, Hendra Gunawan, Sudjojoni, Piet Ouborg, Charles Sayers, Heri Dono, Agus Suwage, Mella Jaarsma, Eko Nugroho, Jompet, Prilla Tania, Tintin Wulia and many more.

Raden Sarief Bastaman Saleh (1811-1880), self portrait. (Courtesy of Centraal Museum Utrecht)

Meta Knol explains the intention is not to provide a comprehensive art-historical survey of the developments in Indonesian and/or Dutch art since 1900. Rather, she said, the works selected relate specifically to the exhibition’s three chosen periods and their related themes.

This is, of course, not without consequences, and various important periods, such as the period of the New Art Group in the 1970s, are not covered. But one may be reassured to know that an important protagonist of that period, FX Harsono, is among the artists whose work is included in the exhibition.

Meta Knol revealed that the exhibition will be particularly important for the Dutch people who tend to overestimate the continuation of Dutch influence to the present time.

As Ade Dermawan from Ruang Rupa exclaimed, “We are beyond the Dutch!” Ade’s exclamation became the title of the exhibition, as well as of the book that includes interesting essays by Indonesian and Dutch authors, written in Dutch and English and edited by Prof. Dr. Kitty Zijlmans, Dr. Remco Raben and Meta Knol.

To infuse the public with awareness of the state of affairs, the exhibition has been designed so that visitors must exit the same way they enter, thus encouraging them to see the works from a new perspective.

Meta Knol further explained that, just as Dutch artists in Indonesia in the 1900s were strongly influenced by an Orientalism that was inextricably tied to the prevailing colonial viewpoint, Indonesian visual art around the 1950s was largely informed by independence and the subsequent development of a nationalist cultural policy.

A central point in the exhibition will be the space between the Dutch-influenced works and the contemporary Indonesian artists. This space has been allocated to Mella Jaarsma, the Dutch-born, Yogyakarta-residing artist who, together with her husband Nindityo Adipurnomo, has played an important mediating role in the relations and interactions between Dutch and Indonesian artists, and in bringing Indonesian artists to the attention of the Dutch and vice versa.

Also among the participants are an Indonesian-born Dutch artist and Dutch artists with links or ties to Indonesia. It will be interesting to see how such artists — Miriam Burer, Hadassah Emmerich, Tiong Ang, Fiona Tan and others — differ or show similarities with Indonesian contemporary artists such as Heri Dono, Eko Nugroho or any of the other Indonesian participants. It will be most interesting to see how the Dutch public reacts.

The curator of the exhibition, Meta Knol, was the curator of modern and contemporary Art at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, until she was appointed director of Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden where she started working last August.

She has curated several exhibitions, including “This is America: Visions of the American Dream” (2006). From 2005 onwards, she curated the mobile exhibition pavilion “Pleinmuseum”, which was on show at the Venice Biennial 2007.

Together with Edwin Jacobs and Stijn Huijts, Meta Knol published the Manifesto for an Enfranchised Museum (December 2006), which raised a huge debate in the Dutch museum world.

Co-curator Enin Supriyanto is an independent curator from Indonesia who has helped various young artists to exhibitions of significance. He is an academic adviser for the Asia Art Archive Hong Kong.

Make your voices heard

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 10/14/2009 5:39 PM

Indonesian author Triyanto Triwikromo (left) reads a poem with Australian writer Jan Cornall as part of Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2009 at Borobudur Park, Magelang, on Wednesday. Under the theme “Global Voice in Borobudur”, the event aims to gain inspiration from the temple’s spirituality. (Antara/Anis Efizudin)

Welcome dance

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 10/13/2009 8:35 PM

Dancers from the Asmat tribe perform to attract tourists buying carvings during an auction as part of the Asmat Cultural Festival on Tuesday. (JP/Markus Makur)

RI eyes 15 countries for tourism

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/13/2009 4:52 PM

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has targeted 15 countries worldwide to promote tourism in Indonesia.

Of the 15 nations, three countries have never been designated as potential markets for tourists, the Philippines, India and Russia, the ministry's director general of marketing Sapta Nirwandar said Tuesday.

The other 12 nations are Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, China, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2008, Singapore was the country that sent the most foreign tourists to Indonesia with 1,197,267 tourists. Second was Malaysia with 1,009,722 tourists.

Most Singaporean tourists visited Batam, while most Malaysian visited Jakarta.

The third-highest number of foreign tourists came from Japan with 559,888 tourists, most of whom visited Bali.

"In 2010, we have set targets of 1.3 million tourists from Singapore and 1.25 million from Malaysia," Sapta said. (bbs)

RI targets 7 million foreign tourists next year

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/13/2009 3:00 PM

Indonesian government targets 7 million of foreign tourists in 2010, an increase from this year's estimation of 6.4 million, an official said on Tuesday.

Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Director General of Marketing Sapta Nirwandar said that the government also targeted US$7.5 billion of foreign exchange from tourism in 2010.

"It may seem hard to reach but we, along with all of tourism-related institutions across the nation, have pledged to work hard in order to achieve that targets," Sapta told the press.

Sapta claimed that the growth of foreign tourists in Indonesia in 2009 was better than those of other Southeast Asian countries.

"Our growth is 2.9 percent while Malaysia's is 2.1 percent," he said optimistically.

Sapta said that Indonesia would focus on community based promotions rather than advertising. "Advertisement is expensive, our budget may be absorbed greatly," he said. (bbs)

Netherlands - Verhagen praises Indonesia’s pioneering role in southeast Asia

Newsflash | 9 October 2009

The Netherlands has a high regard for Indonesia’s role in southeast Asia in the areas of democracy and human rights. This was foreign minister Maxime Verhagen’s message in Leiden today to his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda, who is visiting the Netherlands.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda speaks with his Dutch counterpart Maxime Verhagen following the signing of the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CPA) in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama) - 15 Jan 2009

’The progress Indonesia has made in recent years is an example to the region,’ said Mr Verhagen. But the reforms must continue at full strength, including in the areas of human rights and the rule of law.’

Indonesia was one of the initiators of a regional commission on human rights and is taking an increasingly critical attitude towards countries like Burma.

At a lunch, the ministers discussed international developments and relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands. They also focused on the impact of the devastating earthquake in West Sumatra.

The ministers then visited exhibitions of Indonesian books, prints, and manuscripts at the Bibliotheca Thysiana and Leiden University library.

This evening in Wassenaar, in Mr Verhagen’s presence, Mr Wirajuda will present Indonesian state decorations to former Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot, MEP Hans van Baalen, and former chair of the Horizon Holland Foundation Jacques Brijl.

Original source

Mass dances

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 10/09/2009 5:31 PM

Mass dances: Thousands of children dance the traditional Balinese Pendet dance at Puputan Badung square, Bali, on Friday. Over 3,000 children took part in the event to commemorate the 103rd Puputan war against Dutch soldiers in Badung. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Reuters, Fri Oct 9, 2009 5:25am EDT

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, sitting beside his American counterpart Barack Obama, delivers a speech during the G20 Summit in London April 2009. In his speech, Yudhoyono expressed a desire for the summit to produce a concrete strategy for tackling the global financial crisis. Courtesy of Presidential office/Dino Pati Djalal

OSLO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a better future" with his work for peace and calls to reduce the global stockpile of nuclear weapons.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The first African-American to hold his country's highest office, Obama has called for disarmament and worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January.

"Very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said in a citation.

It awarded the prize to Obama less than nine months into his presidency. Despite setting out an ambitious international agenda, he has yet to score any breakthrough on the Middle East or Iran's nuclear program, and faces difficult choices on the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.

Last month Obama chaired a historic meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which unanimously approved a U.S.-drafted resolution calling on nuclear weapons states to scrap their arsenals.

Obama is the third senior U.S. Democrat to win the prize this decade after former Vice President Al Gore won in 2007 along with the U.N. climate panel and Jimmy Carter in 2002.

The prize worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.4 million) will be handed over in Oslo on December 10.

(Reporting by Oslo newsroom, editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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RI presents honors for 3 Dutch citizens

Lilian Budianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/09/2009 4:41 PM

Indonesia will grant honors to three Dutch people for their contribution to enhancing ties between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said.

Spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said on Friday that former Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Rudolf Bot, lawmaker Hans Van Balen, and civil group member Jacques Zeno Brijil would be awarded the Bintang Mahaputra Utama.

"Rudolf Bot was successful in having his government accept the Indonesian independence day of August 17," he said. Bot was foreign minister from 2003-2007.

Van Balen was the lawmaker from the biggest opposition party of VVD, and Brijil is the President of Horizon Holland, a civil group that has worked closely with Indonesian Health Ministry.

The honors will be presented on Friday in The Hague.

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Indonesia dan Belanda Akan Tingkatkan Hubungan Bilateral

Menteri Luar Negeri RI N Hassan Wirajuda dan Menteri Luar Negeri Kerajaan Belanda, Bernard Rudolf Bot menyepakati untuk membuat mekanisme dialog untuk lebih meningkatkan hubungan bilateral kedua negara dalam rangka mewujudkan kemitraan menyeluruh di semua bidang kerja sama. Hal itu dikemukakan oleh kedua Menlu sesaat setelah menandatangani Letter of Intent (LoI) on Comprehensive Partnership di Gedung Agung, Yogyakarata pada tanggal 18 Desember 2006.

Bamboo music festival blows into Bandung

Sandra Siagian , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/09/2009 1:56 PM

The bamboo plant has always played an integral role in Indonesia's culture.

With 39 different bamboo species around the country, the native plant, discovered 200,000 years ago, has provided local communities around Indonesia with resources to use every day, whether for handicrafts and food or building materials and musical instruments.

In Bandung, West Java, the ancient bamboo plant has provided the community with a platform to showcase their musical talent, primarily through the use of bamboo as a wind instrument, at their annual Bambu Nusantara World Music Festival.

Back for its third year, the festival will be held in Bandung again this October, celebrating traditional Indonesian culture as it revolves around the use of bamboo, through performances, seminars, workshops and culinary feasts.

The festival, supported by the Tourism and Culture Ministry, was established to promote and celebrate Indonesian culture, with a goal of highlighting the musical talents and opportunities to the world, says festival designer Wawan Juanda.

"We are trying to enhance public awareness about the importance of bamboo in the arts, culture and environment," said Wawan. "In the long run, we are attempting to become a part of the world culture festival circuit."

This year's festival will consist of more than 600 performers, spread over six stages during the two-day event held on Oct. 17 and 18.

Traditional bamboo-inspired performances will take part, for visitors to watch or sing and dance along to, with classical Sundanese performances and contemporary performances incorporating a range of genres, from jazz and rock to samba and hip-hop.

The wide range of bamboo musical instruments to be showcased at the festival originate from all over Indonesia, including flutes (salung) from West Sumatra, xylophones (kulintang) from North Sulawesi, trumpets, didgeridoos and the harp.

The indigenous musical instrument taking center stage is the bamboo percussion instrument from the West Java, the angklung.

Traditionally played by Sundanese people, the simple instrument consists of two bamboo tubes of different lengths attached to a bamboo frame is carved to create a specific pitch when the base of the frame is shaken from side to side.

When used in an orchestra or on its own, a range of differently pitched angklung creates soothing melodies, adaptable for both classic and contemporary sounds.

University and school students from Bandung will join the line-up of local, domestic and international artists performing indigenous bamboo music in a parade using the angklung.

The various music groups will play perform a mix of classic, contemporary and indigenous music. Contemporary artists include Balawan and Batuan Ethnic, C-Cord, Samba Sunda and Ozenk Bamboo Chillout.

International guests taking part in the festival this year include Patrick Shaw Iverson, Beetee and Mikail, visiting from Europe, South America and South Africa.

Wawan said local Indonesian artists will take up a lot of the festival program, in accordance with the goal to promote true local talents internationally.

Some local artists have had the opportunity to travel across Indonesia to perform, while others have become seasoned performers as they travel the world to raise awareness of Sundanese culture and art internationally.

Bandung native Ismet Ruchimat leads the 17-piece contemporary group Samba Sunda, an angklung group that has found success performing and educating the world about the Sundanese culture. Ruchimat, who has already performed at festivals throughout Europe, North America and Australia, will be appearing at the Bamboo Nusantara World Music Festival for the third time.

Ruchimat said that no matter how successful his group became, he would always come back to support his local community.

"This festival is important to promote Bandung's powerful culture," said the 41-year-old, who started learning angklung when he was 10. "I started playing music with bamboo when I was younger, so it's important that we continue to push through our culture for the next generation and to the world to share our story."

Non-musical activities and other kinds of events incorporating bamboo will also be included in the festival program. Eco-friendly fashion shows, performing arts, carnivals and photo contests will take place. Visitors will have the opportunity to attend workshops to watch and learn how to make household items, toys and crafts from bamboo and attend group seminars to learn more about the history. They can indulge in traditional culinary feasts or even just sit back and enjoy the documentary movies on display.

Wawan said the festival is a small taste of what is in store for 2010, when Bandung will celebrate its 200th anniversary.

"Next year we will be holding 12 events, one each month to celebrate our bicentenary," said Wawan. "This year we are using the festival as a sampler for next year, organizing what works and what doesn't, from the program outline to the range of performances."

The Bamboo Nusantara World Music Festival will be held at Mall Paris Van Java Jl. Sukajadi, Bandung on Oct. 17 and 18, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is free.

Malaysia congratulates RI over Batik: Minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/02/2009 2:23 PM

Puteri Indonesia pageant finalists pose in front of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle wearing batik on Friday. (Photo: Prasetyo Utomo, Antara)

Official delegations from the Malaysian government congratulated Indonesia over the handmade batik that had just been listed as world heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said on Friday.

UNESCO has officially declared that Indonesia's batik as one of the world heritage during a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

"Delegations from Malaysia came to Abu Dhabi (to attend the UNESCO ceremony). They congratulated Indonesia's delegations after the ceremony," Jero told Antara news agency during the inauguration of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) members.

He said that all 114 UNESCO member countries had agreed that batik was Indonesia's contribution to world heritage.

Jero said that he was very happy and proud after noticing that Malaysia had congratulated Indonesia over the batik.

Jero suggested that Indonesia citizens wear batik all the time.

"After batik, our next job is angklung and gamelan (Indonesia's traditional music instruments)," he said.

The gamelan orchestra

Prior to batik, UNESCO has also named keris (a traditional Javanese dagger) and wayang (puppets) as Indonesia's world heritage.

Indonesia had competed against other batik producing countries, like Malaysia, to be included on UNESCO's world heritage list.

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KLM, Garuda to resume deal

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/02/2009 1:33 PM

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is ready to resume its interline agreement with Garuda Indonesia, after the Indonesian flag carrier was allowed back into European airspace.

The Air France KLM country manager for Indonesia, Axel Colen, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday the interline agreement with Garuda had been in place long before the latter was banned from European airspace after a slew of air accidents in Indonesia.

"Now that the ban has been lifted, we are ready to resume the agreement," he said.

"We still have to wait two to three weeks before we can fully implement it again, because we have to wait for some technical problems to be resolved."

Colen added both airlines were working to enable their ticketing systems "to talk to each other in issuing the e-tickets".

An interline agreement allows two airlines to have two different flights on one ticket, thus reducing the hassle for travelers.

"For example, a passenger can fly from Surabaya to Jakarta with Garuda, and then continue to fly to Amsterdam with KLM," Colen said.

"Each airline will still have its own code in each sector it serves."

Colen said it would different from the codeshare agreement, in which all codes belong to an airline, even if the passenger flies with partner airlines.

When asked when would KLM would ink a codeshare agreement with Garuda, Colen said it would be the second stage after the interline agreement.

"But KLM passengers will be able to enjoy Garuda's vast network already, even before the codeshare agreement is made," he said.

Colen was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference to commemorate the 85th anniversary of KLM's first intercontinental flight, from Amsterdam to Jakarta, at the time the world's longest scheduled route.

Also attending the conference were Marnix Fruitema, the Air France KLM senior vice president for Asia Pacific, and Paul Rombeek, the Air France KLM general manager for Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

That first flight on Oct. 1, 1924, only five years after KLM had been established, was made by a Fokker F-VII from Schiphol Airport.

The airplane was registered H-NACC and named Pelikaan.

In September 1929, the flight was made into a regular fortnightly service when the travel time was shortened to 12 days.

The service was then improved over time to a weekly and then twice-weekly flight.

KLM currently flies to route with a fleet of Boeing 737-200s and 777-300ERs in a time of 12 hours, with a short stop in Kuala Lumpur.

Fruitema said the Indonesian market had huge potential, adding Air France KLM would continue to invest and explore opportunities here, as well as improve its services.

"Expansion plans are always in our strategic outlook," he said at the press conference.

Kuta Karnival promotes traditional and modern art forms

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Mon, 09/28/2009 9:50 AM

Taking a stand: Local artists perform the Sekar Jagat dance during a cultural parade to mark the closing of the 7th Kuta Karnival on Sunday. The first Kuta Karnival was held as a show of defiance toward terrorists, a loud proclamation that Balinese tourism would survive. JP/Ni Komang Erviani

Wiwin, 22, a university student from Malang, East Java, struggled to take a photo amid the sea of people on Kuta Beach on Sunday.

She tried her best to squeeze through the crowd with her camera to take pictures of the passing cultural parade, which drew many observers and created prolonged traffic jams at streets leading to the renowned tourist destination.

It seemed that Wiwit and other spectators didn’t mind the scorching heat of the afternoon.

“I am very lucky to spend my holiday in Bali and to have the chance to watch a great cultural festival,” she said.

The street parade was part of the closing of the 7th Kuta Karnival, an annual celebration that has became a signature event of the tourism haven.

The first Kuta Karnival was organized in October 2003, just one year after terrorists bombed two popular night spots in the area.

The bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, and almost put an end to Kuta’s reputation as a world-class tourist attraction. The first Kuta Karnival was a show of defiance against the terrorists, a loud proclamation that Kuta would survive.

This year’s festival was a rich presentation of the island’s traditional and modern art forms.

“Unlike previous festivals, which focused more on modern art, the 7th Kuta Karnival deliberately featured a balanced mix of the traditional and the modern,” said the head of the organizing committee, Ketut Nugra.

The decision to promote both traditional and modern art forms, he said, was in tune with the festival’s theme “Celebration of Life”.

“Kuta is a vibrant place where traditional arts and modern lifestyles exist side-by-side and this harmony is the concept we wanted to celebrate in this year’s Kuta Karnival,” Nugra stressed.

Throughout the festival, which ran from Sept. 19 to 27, spectators were spoiled with performances of traditional art forms, such as the iconic Kecak and the classical Legong dance.

“The festival also featured Mepantigan, a traditional Balinese martial art, and Gandrung, a joyful folk dance from Banyuwangi in East Java,” he added.

For spectators that wanted a taste of the modern side of Kuta, the festival featured graffiti art, body painting sessions and music concerts.

Two eco-friendly activities, a beach cleanup and the release of turtle hatchlings, were also part of the festival

In conjunction with the Kuta Karnival, local tourism establishments organized the Bali Food Festival from Sept. 25-27.

Food stalls were erected on the sandy beach of Legian and visitors were treated to a huge selection of Balinese traditional delicacies and western foods sold at bargain prices.

A meal, which would cost more than Rp 100,000 in a restaurant, was sold for Rp 35,000 at the food festival.

“We sold the products cheaply because the food festival was a promotional event,” said Bali Niksoma’s manager Nyoman Astama.

Jakarta to have a new batik museum

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 09/28/2009 8:36 PM

Seeking to house its growing batik collection and attract more visitors, the management of the Textile Museum in Central Jakarta is preparing to open a separate batik museum within the existing complex.

“We’re looking to complete the planning [for the new museum by the end of this year,” museum head Indra Riawan said Monday.

Built in the 19th century as a private French residence, the museum, on Jl. K.S. Tubun, showcases 1,800 items from around the archipelago, most of them batik.

Indra said the museum’s management had planned to renovate the 300-square-meter contemporary-textile gallery to make room for the new batik museum.

He declined to say when the new museum would open, with funding still being sought from the city administration before the start of renovation.

“We have so far secured a commitment from the Indonesian Batik Foundation to put some of their collections in the new museum,” Indra said.

Tensions are rising between Indonesia and Malaysia over cultural icons such as batik.
(JG, Tasa Nugraza Barley)

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Boediono`s Maluku visit Expected to promote Sail Banda 2010

Antara, Saturday, September 26, 2009 15:03 WIB

Banda Neira (ANTARA News) - Vice President-elect Boediono`s visit to Maluku is of strategic significance for the promotion of Sail Banda 2010, Maluku Culture and Tourism Office head Florance Sahusilawane said here on Saturday.

"Boediono`s visit to the spice islands in Maluku is a sign that the gong for the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 has been sounded, because it is the vice president-elect who will spearheaded the campaign to promote the international sail event," Sahusilawane said.

She said Boediono`s presence in Banda Neira from Saturday to Monday (Sept 26-28) was an indication security conditions in Maluku were conducive for the international event which will follow the Sail Bunaken 2009 which took place in Agust this year in Manado, North Sulawesi.

"The preparedness of the people of Banda to receive Boediono indicates that they are also ready to host Sail Banda 2010," Sahusilawane said, adding that the event was to be organized as an international marine expedition.

She said the idea to hold the international event was being designed by adopting the past period of "hongitochten", punitive expeditions conducted by the Dutch to suppress uprisings in Seram, particularly in the clove-rich peninsula of Hoamoal and nearby islands with traditional boats.

Therefore, Sahusilawane called on villages across Maluku which have typical traditional boats to take part in and liven up Sail Banda 2010.

She said the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 would not be very difficult because the Banda islands were already known worldwide as the "spice islands", while UNESCO had named the islands one of the world`s heritages.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said recently that some 150 sail boats from a number of countries had been registered to take part in Sail Banda 2010.

"I met Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik in Jakarta recently and he said about 150 sail boats have signed up for the international maritime event in Maluku next year," the governor said.