By Umer Nangiana
Members of Indonesian expatriate community come together every year to help their children, the generation born and being raised in Qatar, learn Indonesian cultural and national values.
Keeping up with the tradition the socially active members of the diaspora organised a gathering of children and young adults on December 27 to let them learn and experience everything Indonesian under the direct supervision of Indonesia’s Ambassador to Qatar Deddy Saiful Hadi himself and other senior officials of the embassy.
Realising the fact that the children who were born here or the others who moved to Qatar with their parents do not get much opportunity in the local schools here to get acquainted with their motherland’s culture, the seminar not just imparted the participating children knowledge on Indonesian culture, history, traditions and the country’s rich Islamic heritage, it allowed them to learn through experience.
The children were given the opportunity to wear the traditional Indonesian attire coming from different parts of the archipelago in the exact manner they are worn in their native country.
In an environment conducive for cultural learning, the children were taught national values through a cluster of activities involving the national anthem, the mannerism associated with the sanctity of the national flag, the Indonesian way of life and the Islamic practices.
Hadi, the Indonesian ambassador, dressed in Batik (the traditional Indonesian attire) himself briefed the participating students about the importance of national and Islamic values of Indonesia, which is world’s largest Muslim country with a population of 250mn.
“Such activities are very important for the children to learn the culture of their country and to make sure that they are not lost from the Indonesian roots during their growing up in Qatar,” stressed the ambassador during his briefing to the students. He appreciated the Indonesian community’s initiative to organise such events and to come up with ideas to make the environment conducive for children’s cultural and social learning.
The ambassador also thanked the parents for their help in organising the event and being active round the year to help the Indonesian embassy in Qatar organise various activities for the local expatriate Indonesian community. In the same connection of cultural and religious learning, the Indonesian community living in Wakrah and Messaied areas of Qatar earlier this year in November organised the ‘Hafiz Qur’an’ classes.
In Hafiz Qur’an, around 12-13 students from the ages of 7 and above are selected to learn Qur’anic verses by heart. In different activities such quiz and competitions they are allowed to memorise the Qur’anic verses and surahs (chapters). Such activities are held twice every year where the more knowledgeable members of the community come forward and participate in educating the children.
Besides Qur’anic knowledge, the students are also taught Islamic and Indonesian history, culture and achievements. This comes besides the children’s regular formal education in the schools.
The spontaneous self-help and extra-curricular activities carried out by the community help the children learn Islamic values and provides them a sense of nationality which they do not acquire at the schools.
It provides them with the understanding of the Indonesian national insights. The Indonesian ambassador was accompanied by Nurwenda Sucipto, the Head of Information and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian embassy at the seminar. The ambassador also urged the Indonesian Association in Qatar of PERMIQA to become further active in such activities in the future as well.