VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Two Culture Events in Ramayana Ballet

The Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok along with the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Culture of Thailand has facilitated the holding of a Virtual Ramayana Joint Performance at the Thai National Theater, Bangkok on September 24, 2020. This activity with the theme of Two Nations: One Dance is part of the activity to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Thailand this year. Cultural contacts have been going on long before 1950 when Indonesia and Thailand officially started establishing diplomatic relations and cooperation. The story of the Ramayana which is owned by the two countries is clear evidence of the long history of these cultural relations.

In his remarks, Minister of Culture of Thailand, Ittiphol Khunpluem underlined that the Joint Virtual Dance activity emphasized the close feeling of unity between Indonesia and Thailand and inspired the strengthening of the ASEAN Community. This cultural activity is believed to continue to inspire the people of the two countries in a bid to create joint activities, share knowledge between institutions to grow and to jointly succeed.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim through a video message displayed at the beginning of the event, underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped the joint efforts of the two countries to give their best. Even, this pandemic requires both sides to be more creative in carrying out various collaborations, including the holding of the Joint Virtual Ramayana Dance.

The Indonesian Ramayana Dance performed by the Jakarta Bharata Wayang Orangutan Group and the Bali Paripurna was performed virtually. Meanwhile, the Thai Ramayana Dance was performed live by the Thai Ministry of Culture dance group. The dance collaboration between the two countries was presented beautifully and illustrated the whole story of Sri Rama's struggle in bringing Dewi Shinta back to Ayodhya.

On the occasion, the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok promoted Indonesian culinary delights in the form of traditional snacks such as Dadar Gulung, Lumpia Semarang and Combro to those people who were present.
The Ramayana Ballet performance was carried out by adhering to strict health protocol standards as recommended by the relevant health authorities. At the venue, around 400 spectators were present and consisting of Thai government officials, diplomatic circles, academics, media, friends of Indonesia and the Indonesian people in Thailand. Apart from attending in person, this show has also been witnessed by 4500 viewers of both countries through YouTube, Instagram and Facebook links.