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Photo credit: kemlu.go.id

The  Indonesian Embassy in Suva held a "Talanoa"  or interactive discussion session at the Paradiso Restaurant in Suva, Fiji on Wednesday (3/7). The Talanoa session was held to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between the Indonesian and Fijian media industries as well as explore potential areas for mutual collaboration.

In addition, the session was attended by  representatives from the Fijian media, representatives of academics from the Fiji National University (FNU) and the University of Fiji, as well as members of the Fiji-Indonesia Friendship Association (FIFA).  From Indonesia, senior journalist for Kompas newspaper, Laraswati Ariadne Anwar, and senior news anchor for SEA Today, Mochamad Achir also attended the Talanoa activity. These two senior journalists came to Fiji to participate as resource persons at the 2024 Pacific International Media Conference at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Fiji, Dupito Simamora at the event affirmed the importance of the media in improving bilateral relations. Ambassador Simamora also conveyed that Fiji and Indonesia are both considered as leaders in their respective regions and there are many things that can be learned from each other as equal partners.

Moreover, Ambassador Simamora also touched on the friendship between the two countries, which is entering 50 years this year. According to him, Indonesia has long been Fiji's development partner, and relations between the two countries are based on trust and respect. Talanoa session participants discussed a wide range of issues, studying the diverse media industries in Fiji and Indonesia and discussing important issues such as freedom of expression, accurate reporting and media ethics.

Then, this session was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information. The Talanoa session or discussion emphasized the importance of strengthening diplomacy among people, cultural exchanges, and strengthening commitment to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in the media sector.

Welcome back to Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia, which introduces Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in Indonesian language. Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia is a collaboration between Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research & Technology. Today’s topic is “Di Bali”which means “In Bali.”

Here is a conversation about “Ngaben adalah upacara pembakaran jenazah” which means “Ngaben is a cremation ceremony”. The conversation is between Chris, a vlogger from Australia, who was talking to a hostel owner when a Ngaben parade is passing through in front of the hostel and to a temple. The hostel owner explained the meaning of the Ngaben ceremony to Chris.

Chris (P)                  : Ramai sekali  pura di sana. Ada acara apa?

Pemilik Hostel  (W)  : Ada ngaben, Pak.

Chris (P)                   : Ngaben? Acara apa itu?

Pemilik Hostel  (W)  : Ngaben adalah upacara pembakaran jenazah umat Hindu Bali.

Here are some vocabulary and expressions related to today’s topic “Ngaben adalah upacara pembakaran jenazah” which means “Ngaben is a cremation ceremony”.

In this conversation, there is the expression “Ngaben adalah upacara pembakaran jenazah umat Hindu di Bali” which means “Ngaben is a Hindu people’s cremation ceremony in Bali”. In the expression, there is the word ”adalah” which means “be” similar to “is, am, are, was, were, been”. The word ”adalah” which means “be” marks a definition or meaning of something. Therefore, in the sentence, the word ”adalah” which means “be” connects the word “ngaben” with its definition, namely ”upacara pembakaran jenazah umat Hindu di Bali” which means “a Hindu people’s cremation ceremony in Bali”.

Here is another use of the word ”adalah” which means “be” to define something.

Jenazah adalah tubuh orang yang sudah meninggal which means Corpse is a dead man’s body  

Umat adalah para pengikut suatu agama which means Umat is a follower of a religion.

One of Bali’s tourist landmarks is”pura” which means “Hindus temple” or simply “temple”.”Pura” is a worship place for Hindus. You can find a lot of”pura” which means “temple” in Bali with distinct structures and ornaments.

Photo credit: Instagram via inews.id

For beach lovers, we recommend you to visit Sugi Island, the Maldives of Indonesia. The island shares a maritime border with Singapore and has exclusive resorts with 90% of the building built over water. Sugi Island is located in the Riau Islands. To travel there, you can go to Batam and ride on a ship from Pancung Sekupang Port. Sugi Island is only 2 hours away from the port.

As soon as you arrive on Sugi Island, you will see rows of overwater bungalows. You can enjoy the Telunas Beach view from your bed during your stay there. The main attraction on Sugi Island is Telunas Beach. Clear blue water and pure white sand lay brilliantly on the expansive beach. You can do various activities on Telunas Beach, such as swimming, kayaking, or playing in the sand.

Besides playing around the beach, you can also explore villages or visit Air Hitam Waterfall. To visit the Waterfall, you must travel through a mangrove forest. The waterfall is not that big, but it has a uniqueness. The water looks yellowish since it contains minerals from trees. From above, the water looks black. It is because of the rocks that have been deposited for a long time. You can try to play in the water and capture the waterfall’s uniqueness through your camera lens.

Photo credit: kemlu.go.id

Historic Border Run was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Dili, Timor Leste, on Saturday (6/7/2024). They collaborated with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Democratic Government of Timor Leste, and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), facilitated by Wini Cross-border Post (PLBN).

The Head of Wini post, Don Gaspar, stated that the Indonesian Embassy collaborated with the newly-opened Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) branch in Oecusse District, and held the Historic Border Run to tighten the bond between Indonesian and Timorese people, especially in Oecusse.

An economic partnership forum meeting between Indonesia and Timor Leste was held before the Border Run. This meeting was attended by the Regional Government of North Central Timor (TTU), Belu, Malaka, South Central Timor (TTS), Kupang, and Yogyakarta.

According to Don Gaspar, the main objective of Historic Border Run is to strengthen the connection between Indonesia-Timor Leste in terms of economy, tradition, culture, and among working staff in the country border area. This will hopefully strengthen the relationship between the two countries to improve their economy.

He added that besides the Historic Border Run, there was also a Cultural Festival in Oecusse as an entertainment activity for both countries. Gaspar also stated that the number of passersby at Wini Cross-border Post increased above average because of this event. This also contributed to improving the local economic activity at Wini post since homestay and food stalls owned by locals gained more consumers.

Initially, Historic Border Run was frequently held by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy before Covid-19. However, the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the globe at that time forcing this event to stop. The event has just been restarted by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), and the Government of Timor Leste.

The Head of Wini Cross-border Post, Don Gaspar and local people in Wini hope more Historic Border Run will be held in the border areas, because the event significantly and indirectly boosted the local economy.