VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chairman of Islamic Students Association Alumni National Corps (MN KAHMI) for International Relations Division and Chairman of National Youth Committee (DPP KNPI) Tantan Taufik Lubis attended the Congress of The International Council of the World Youth Festival Directorate in Moscow, Russia, to tighten relations between Indonesia and Russia.

Tantan in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday (14/07/2024) said the congress was organized by Movement of The First dan Youth Agency Russian Federation on 6-12 July 2024.

He further remarked that in history, Indonesia and Russia have had good and close relations. Not only for business and politics, the relationship expanded to a tight and brother-like friendship for 79 years since 1945. Moreover, during their era, the Indonesian President Soekarno and Soviet Union President Nikita Khrushchev were so close.

The international congress was joined by delegates from more than 100 countries, aiming to strengthen the organization, evaluate programs, restructuring, as well as reinforcing country representatives for the next World Youth Festival.According to Tantan, youth diplomacy is the right platform and instrument to maintain and improve relations between Indonesia and Russia.

Therefore, Tantan wanted to continue the legacy of Indonesian founding father Soekarno based on free-active politics as the guidance for the country's diplomacy, which always develops communication and relations with other nations in the world.

Meanwhile, Director General of World Youth Festival Daniil Bisslinger said cooperation among international youth must be based on equality, respect, and mutual benefit.

J+ Art, an art competition initiated by Connected Art Platform (CAP), held an art exhibition at Saloka Theme Park, Semarang Regency from June 22 to July 21, 2024.

The J+ Art Awards program featured 160 participants from nine countries: Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, England, Korea, Austria, and Switzerland. Of these participants, 11 finalists were selected to exhibit their work at Saloka Theme Park. The collected works responded to the theme "Beyond Green" presented by this exhibition.

This exhibition marks the first art and innovation showcase in Indonesia to be held at an amusement park. Situated on the 2nd floor of Daimami Restaurant, visitors to Saloka Theme Park can enjoy dozens of fine art pieces and installations at J+ Art. The judging panel includes two professors from the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland and the University of Arts and Design Linz in Austria.

Through the theme "Beyond Green," the J+ Art Awards not only aim to enhance participants' skills and techniques but also contribute to the preservation of ecology and cultural heritage through a contemporary lens. According to J+ Art Awards Curator, Mona Liem, this competition is designed to raise awareness and encourage contributions to environmental sustainability, fostering young innovators, creative thinkers, researchers, and outstanding artists. The event integrates elements of art and manufacturing to promote collaboration between visual and design disciplines, ultimately aiding in the preservation of both ecology and cultural heritage.

A total of 30 Ethiopian youths participated in a writing training activity organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia -KBRI Addis Ababa in Arba Minch City on Wednesday (26/6/2024).

Indonesian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and the African Union, Al Busyra Basnur, said the writing training was held to enhance the knowledge and writing skills of Ethiopian youths so that they are able to write well about Indonesia and Ethiopia.

The training was mentored by Ambassador Al Busyra Basnur, who is also a writer and former journalist, with five resource persons from Ethiopian youths. They are Selamawit, Lidya, Evelyn, Getayawkal, and Yared, who are students of Arba Minch University.

Interestingly, the five students are part of fifteen Ethiopian youths who wrote a book entitled “Indonesia in the Hearts and Minds of Ethiopian Youth” which was officially launched and discussed today, on Saturday, (June 29). Ambassador Al Busyra Basnur is also involved as an editor of the book.

The Indonesian Embassy in Addis Ababa continues to encourage Ethiopian youths to write books along with Indonesian ones. Until now, the Embassy has published 10 books written by youths, academicians, and prominent figures from Ethiopia and Indonesia.

An Indonesian diaspora owner of the Creamberry ice cream shop in Las Vegas, Rosalina Sie, has succeeded in attracting visitors through her innovation in variations of the typical Indonesian ice cream and dessert menu. It is said that the Creamberry outlet manages to make a profit of one billion rupiah per year. Rosalina Sie said that the ice cream shop which she founded in 2016 offers a variety of desserts, such as roll ice cream, toast waffle, mixed ice as well as the best-selling menu which is currently viral, namely Cotton Candy Burrito.

Cotton Candy Burrito is a cotton candy creation filled with ice cream, then rolled up like a burrito. This variant was successful in raising the Creamberry outlet to fame when it was reviewed by a local newspaper in Los Angeles. In addition, Creamberry has also been highlighted by a number of national media and public figures in the United States, such as the Food Network, Ellen DeGeneres and the @foodgod account which has more than 10 million followers across social media. Rosalina said she was proud that her customers were really happy with her cotton candy burrito creations with various flavor combinations. Visitors to the Creamberry outlet, Kimberly and Hanna Lamon, admit that they regularly visit once or twice a week, because they are attracted by the variety of the menu and new offer every time they visit.

Previously, eight years ago, Rosalina Sie opened a Creamberry outlet in Las Vegas. She started her business with capital of US$300,000, or around Rp4.9 billion. The business she manages currently employs 12 employees and has managed to record profits of almost  Rp1 billion per year. At the start, Rosalina had to struggle with various strict regulations to be able to open a business. Rosalina is directly involved in ensuring the quality of the raw materials used, supervising employees, ensuring customer satisfaction, and conducting research to create new menus so that consumers don't get bored. Rosalina hopes that the strategy she is currently implementing can allow Creamberry to continue to grow and be able to open outlets in other states in the United States.