VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Indonesian Embassy in Astana held an Indonesia-Kazakhstan Collaboration Batik Workshop at the Indonesian Cultural Center in Astana (29/10).

The activity was held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Indonesia and Kazakhstan to illustrate the close relationship between the two countries in the form of Indonesian cultural treasures translated into batik works.

This is one way to enhance diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Kazakhstan through culture and batik is a cultural icon that has been widely recognized in various countries and has been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO on October 2, 2009.

Indonesian Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Dr. M. Fadjroel Rachman in his opening remarks outlined the importance of this event for the friendship between the two countries.

"This workshop is more than just a demonstration of techniques; it is an opportunity to form relationships, share ideas and strengthen cultural ties between the two countries. By working together, we not only create beautiful batik works, but also create sustainable relationships that will enrich our understanding of each other's cultures", said the Ambassador.

The resource persons in this activity, Ms. Deby Rahmayanti, staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Astana and Ms. Aizada, recipient of the 2019-2023 Indonesian KNB scholarship, collaborated to provide batik training with Indonesian-Kazakhstan motifs to 25 participants who were all Kazakhstan citizens who filled the hall of the Indonesian cultural center as a soft diplomacy effort carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in Astana to form a positive image of Indonesia in the accreditation country.

The batik workshop process starting from drawing designs, coloring, and the use of canting and the final process was conveyed interestingly by the speakers to all participants.

A high sense of enthusiasm was seen with many interesting discussions related to the whole process from the participants which made the event run interestingly and full of meaning.

One of the participants named Beket Safiyanur who is a citizen of Kazakhstan who attended the Indonesian language class, expressed her happiness in participating in this batik class. Safiyanur stated that the batik workshop was very impressive and increased her knowledge.

The instructor of the batik class, Ms. Deby Rahmayanti is optimistic that batik can be one of the doors of Indonesian Cultural diplomacy in Kazakhstan.

She saw that the participants who attended the workshop were very good and had an art background.

According to her, batik can be a door to cultural diplomacy with Indonesian values in it such as patience, discipline, and thoroughness. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)