VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: To enliven the celebration of 70 Years of Bilateral Relations between Indonesia and Austria, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Vienna presented a Keroncong Jam Session through Zugabe Band’s show at the World Museum (Weltmuseum). Indonesian Ambassador to Austria, Slovenia, the UN, and International Organizations in Vienna Damos Dumoli Agusman said that Austria and Indonesia have similarities in cultural interests such as music.

"Entering the 70th year of their bilateral relations, Austria and Indonesia have many similarities, including a love of music as an expression of the rich culture of the two countries' civilizations. "Austria has classical music, while one of the riches of Indonesian traditional music which has Western elements is the Keroncong genre," said Damos in an official statement received on Thursday (21/3) in Jakarta.

The Indonesian Embassy in Vienna said that the performance in the spectacular area of the Columned Hall in one of the famous ethnographic museums in the city of Vienna was attended by around 200 invited participants from diplomatic circles from ASEAN countries, the Austrian government, as well as friendly countries and partners.

Damos believes that the reason the Indonesian Embassy in Vienna presented a keroncong music performance was that keroncong music is a combination of traditional Eastern music which contains western music elements.

“Why Keroncong music? Because it is one of Indonesia's musical heritages which combines elements of traditional Eastern music such as Arabic, Indian, and Indonesian music, along with Western music elements, especially European such as Portuguese and Spanish. "Over time, Keroncong has also evolved with various music genres from pop to dangdut," he said.

Meanwhile, one of the visitors, a Viennese citizen, Htun Aung, admitted that he was amazed and did not expect that the person performing Keroncong music was an Indonesian diplomat because he put on a very good performance.

“A Spectacular performance by the Zugabe Band. The quality of the musicians' playing and vocals doubts that they are Indonesian diplomats. "The full support of all the staff of the Indonesian Embassy/PTRI in Vienna and the entire Indonesian community shows the intrinsic strength of Indonesia," said Htun Aung, a resident of Myanmar in the city of Vienna who was also present to enjoy the Keroncong performance. (Ranov)

VOI, Qatar - The Indonesian Embassy in Doha, in collaboration with the Special Branch of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PCINU) in Qatar, held the 2nd Indonesian Ramadan Festival at the Indonesian Embassy in Doha on Saturday 16 March 2024. The event was initiated to strengthen the brotherhood of the Indonesian Diaspora and to promote the richness of Indonesian culture and Ramadan traditions to the international community, especially to Qatari citizens.

The Ramadan Festival is enlivened with various educational activities and cultural themes, such as a Calligraphy Colouring Competition aimed at children, Story Telling for Teens which provides space for teenagers to share thoughts about Ramadan, a Culinary Bazaar which displays the richness of Indonesian culinary delights and a Book Review. "This Ramadhan Festival is a vehicle to share joy with everyone, especially children," said Ali Musthofa, Rais Syuriah PCINU Qatar.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Ridwan Hassan welcomed this activity. "Apart from being a place for friendship, this activity is also a tool to pass on the values of good religious life to children." said Ambassador Ridwan Hassan.

Festival activities were attended by at least 300 people. Activities are supported by various parties such as the Unpad Alumni Association in Qatar, the Indonesian Community Association in Qatar (Permiqa), Bank Central Asia representing Qatar and Indonesian restaurants in Qatar. (Daniel)

Embassies of French-speaking or francophone countries in Indonesia opened the 2024 Francophone Week activities on Monday, March 18 at the Institut français Indonésie (IFI) Jakarta. The Moroccan Ambassador, the Canadian Ambassador's Charge de'affair, the Swiss Ambassador, and the French Ambassador to Indonesia were present at the opening of the annual event. The opening of Frankoponi Week 2024 was also enlivened by the performance of the UI Chorale CLE-C choir group and the Rangkai music group.

In his remarks, the Moroccan Ambassador to Indonesia, Ouadia Benabdellah, who this year was appointed President of the Group of Ambassadors of Francophone Countries in Indonesia, said that the Francophone has become a symbol of tolerance and bonds of solidarity between nations. “Francophonie is more than just a shared language. This embodies the values of solidarity, dialogue, and cooperation between people, whatever their origins and backgrounds. It is a symbol of tolerance, dialogue, and mutual respect, representing a bridge between continents, an unshakable bond that transcends borders and differences” Ouadia Benabdellah said upon his address.

The Francophonie Week in Indonesia took place from 18-23 March 2024 in eight cities, namely Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Bali, Makassar, Medan and Semarang. The week's series of activities includes music performances, film screenings, Marionette performances, painting exhibitions, seminars/workshops, bazaars, and various French language competitions.

Internationally, Francophonie Day or World French Speakers Day is observed every March 20 as a celebration of the use of French in 54 countries and various organizations including the UN which unites around 321 million speakers and is part of the International Francophonie Organization. (Daniel)