An array of traditional performances, activations, and live demonstrations marked the Indonesian Cultural Day at Education City’s Multaqa Plaza on Thursday. The event, which also forms part of the 77th Independence Day celebration of Indonesia, was organised by the Embassy of Indonesia in Doha with the support of Qatar Foundation and the Association of Indonesian Communities in Qatar (Permiqa).
The celebration started with a Tumpeng cutting – led by Indonesian ambassador Ridwan Hassan. A popular Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish, Tumpeng symbolises the gratitude of the Indonesian people for the blessing of independence. A series of cultural dances took the centre stage such as Legong Condong, Gemufamire (East Nusa Tenggara Sajojo), Pendet, Si Patokaan, and Kebyar Merah Putih, in addition to traditional musical presentations such as Angklung demonstrations and saxophone performances by cultural groups such as Puspa Qinarya, Indonesian Ladies Angklung and Sanggar Seni Messaied.
The celebration started with a Tumpeng cutting – led by Indonesian ambassador Ridwan Hassan. A popular Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish, Tumpeng symbolises the gratitude of the Indonesian people for the blessing of independence. A series of cultural dances took the centre stage such as Legong Condong, Gemufamire (East Nusa Tenggara Sajojo), Pendet, Si Patokaan, and Kebyar Merah Putih, in addition to traditional musical presentations such as Angklung demonstrations and saxophone performances by cultural groups such as Puspa Qinarya, Indonesian Ladies Angklung and Sanggar Seni Messaied.
Visitors had the opportunity to explore a wide range of traditional Indonesian cakes and snacks such as Kue Jagung (steamed sweet corn coconut layer cake), Dadar Gulung (coconut pancake), Onde-onde (fried sesame balls), Pempek (fried fish cake), and Kue Angku (glutinous rice steam cake), among others. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Hassan highlighted the strong and deep-rooted relations between Qatar and Indonesia not only in the area of politics and economy but also in social and cultural fields, including people-to-people contacts.
The envoy underlined the importance of co-operation in the cultural field to enhance bilateral ties between the two countries, saying: “We perceived cultural diplomacy as an important part of our mission. Building trust and understanding among nations could be started through cultural diplomacy.”
Apart from dance and musical performances, the event also featured coffee demonstrations, traditional games, and the uniqueness of Indonesian batik weaving. Batik is traditional Indonesian clothing painted with night candle liquid using a tool called “canting”. In 2009, Batik was acknowledged as one of the Masterpieces of Intangible Cultural Heritages by Unesco.
Special guests at the Indonesian Cultural Day included Aysha al-Mudahka, director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Qatar Foundation (QF); Faycal Haman Adama, directorate of Cultural Diplomacy, Qatar Museum; Alexandru Rosca from QF’s Communications Office; and Farhan al-Sayed, chairman of Qatar – Indonesia Business Council.
Representatives from various embassies attended the event, including Wipawan Khanthahiran (Thailand), Daphne Sohan (Singapore), Fazlinda Fuudzil (Malaysia), Farhanah Suhaili (Brunei Darussalam), and Tran Phuong Thao (Vietnam); as well as the members of the Asean Committee in Doha Working Group.
