VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The government of Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia is going to hold again the "Festival Jelajah Maumere" or "Explore Maumere Festival" on 12-14 September 2024. For the second edition, it will be themed "Dewa Det Naruk utan peten Beli Ata Vian Sawe" or "Greeting the World with Sikka Tenun". The Maumere Festival aims to promote Sikka tourism to the world. The Explore Maumere Festival is expected to attract the locals and tourists to visit and enjoy various top tourism destinations in Sikka, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

Chair Committee of Explore Maumere Festival 2024 Ferdinand E. Edomeko said the activity has various activities such as cultural parade, arts and cultural performance, local and national music performance, as well as fashion culture Sikka parade. Besides, the event also showcases micro small medium businesses, traditional technology, as well tourism and cultural books. Then, there was also a fashion show competition, flute performance, and storytelling competition about Sikka tenun or woven cloth.

As the name suggests, the  Explore Maumere Festival 2024  will explore a number of top, unique, and interesting tourist locations. Acting Sikka Regional Secretary, Margaretha Movaldes da Maga Bapa, said that Sikka Regency has extraordinary resource potential for development. Therefore, it is hoped that the 2024 Maumere Exploration Festival will not only become an annual cultural event, but also significantly increase the tourism and economic potential of Sikka Regency.

Photo source: yourtrip.id

West Nusa Tenggara has some beautiful beaches, one of them is Lariti Beach. This beach is quite unique because it has a split sea phenomenon. This split sea is formed due to receding sea water so that land appears connecting the east side of Lariti Beach with a small island opposite, namely Paliman Island. Lariti Beach is located in Soro village, Lambu district, Bima regency. From the center of Bima city, the distance is 48 kilometers and it takes  1 hour and 26 minutes to drive.

The land that divides the sea at Lariti Beach is 150 meters long and 7 meters wide. You can pass through this split sea at certain hours, such as 10:00 to 15:30 Central Indonesian time. Besides enjoying the sensation of a split sea, on this beach you can also play on the white sand, or feel the blue Lariti sea water by swimming. The sea waves are quite calm, making it safe to swim on this beach. The scenery on this beach is also very beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset, so please don't miss it to capture its natural beauty.

Lariti Beach is open every day for 24 hours. To travel there, you must pay an entrance ticket fee of 5 thousand rupiah or less than 1 US dollar. Lariti Beach is equipped with various facilities, such as parking lots, food stalls, gazebos, bathrooms, and seats. For those of you who want to spend the night here, you can camp at the camping ground.

Photo credit: kemlu.go.id

The Indonesian  Embassy in  Tokyo, Japan  is collaborating with the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum to organize an Indonesian exhibition entitled "Indonesia: Harmony in Diversity - the Road to Cultural Exchange with the World" from July 6 to September 29, 2024.

Indonesian Deputy Ambassador to Japan Maria Renata Hutagalung in Tokyo on Tuesday (July 9) conveyed the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum have collaborated for the first time to present a number of Indonesian artworks to the Japanese public. Through this exhibition, it is expected that Japanese people can take a deeper look at the richness of Indonesian art.

According to Maria Renata, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo strives continuously to introduce Indonesian art and culture in Japan. The exhibition also displayed seven paintings and two Indonesian sculptures by Affandi, Mahjuddin and Maria Tjui  at the museum.

The event  will also hold seminars and performances of cultural activities including traditional dance, angklung (traditional musical instrument) games and fashion shows of Indonesian Wastra traditional cloth.

Managing Director of Fuji Art Museum  Shimizu Yoshiro  accompanied by museum curator  Mikako Hiraya expressed his appreciation for the cooperation and opportunities provided by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo by exhibiting paintings and sculptures at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum right on the 40th anniversary of the museum's establishment.

Pulo Sibandang Tourism Village was inaugurated as one of the top 50 best tourist villages in Indonesia in the 2024 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI) on July 4. The village, formed by a collaboration of three villages -- Sibandang Village, Papande Village, and Sampuran Village -- is one of the 16 sites of the Toba UNESCO Global Caldera Geopark. Pulo Sibandang Tourism Village has a natural abundance, surrounded by the eye-pleasing blue water of Lake Toba. While traveling there, you can immediately see the fertile land on Sibandang Island, an outcome of the Mount Toba eruption. The land there is planted with various plants, such as udang mango, the small-sized mango typical of Pulo Sibandang Tourism Village.

Pulo Sibandang Tourism Village is located in North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra. From Silangit Airport, getting to the Pulo Sibandang area only takes about 45 minutes by land. While arriving at the village, you will immediately see the expanse of the waters of Lake Toba. Besides enjoying the lake view, you can go sailing a wooden boat (solu), watch traditional dances, go trekking, and go cycling. You can also join the udang mango agrotourism. It has a sweet taste, with thin flesh. Apart from eating mangoes, tourists can also see the first mango trees, hundreds of years old, planted by the Dutch.

One of the villages on Pulo Sibandang, Papande village, is a producer of the woven cloth of Harungguan ulos. According to legend, Harungguan ulos were once only worn by kings. Harungguan ulos clothes that are woven by the community still use traditional looms and natural dyes. In Pulo Sibandang Tourism Village, you can watch people weaving Harungguan ulos.

Besides that, you can also learn the history of the Sibandang Kingdom. There are traces of the kingdom that still stands on Pulo SIbandang, such as the stone fort and Ruma Bolon which was the king's palace at that time. Some royal-era furniture is also still found in Ruma Bolon.