VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Besides traditional clothes, every region in Indonesia also has a typical headband, or usually called ‘Iket’. Take for example, in Central Java, there is Blangkon as a complement of men's traditional clothes. In Bali, the headband is called ‘Udeng’. While in West Java, it is known as ‘Iket Sunda’. The existence of Iket is as complementary of men's traditional clothes or "Anggoan Pameget" which has high esthetic value. There are various kinds of Iket Sunda and they have deep philosophy.

Iket comes from the Sundanese language which means 'tie'. In ancient times, Iket reflected class in society so that it was clear the difference in the position of a man in everyday life. Philosophically, Iket means Sauyunan (bond) in a single life. Like a palm-stick, if forms into a single knot, a broom will be able to clean anything. Likewise, if humans act individually, of course it's hard to face a problem. Iket also indicates that the user does not want to be separated from Kasundaan's identity. Iket is made of cloth in the form of a square that has four corners. The four corners have the meaning as kereteg haté (kereteg = feelings or sounds that arise automatically, haté = heart. Kereteg haté is defined as intention, speech (oral), behavior (attitude), and body which is then folded in half to form an isosceles triangle with three corners. The three angles reflect three principles, tritangtu of equality in social life, namely the tritangtu consisting of rishi (religious leader), rama (people's leader) and perebu (regional leader).

Based on its history, Iket is divided into two major parts: Iket Buhan (Baheula Iket) and Iket Kiwar (modern or practical Iket). Iket Buhun is an Iket model from ancient elders in the Pasundan area and is formed from rectangular cloth that is folded according to special rules and forms an Iket model, such as Barangbang Semplak, Julang Ngapak, Parekos Jengkol and Buaya Ngangsar. The shape and model of the Kiwari Iket resembles the Buhun Iket. However, it has undergone several changes following the development of fashion, such as Iket Candra Sumirat, Iket Maung Leumpang, Iket Praktis Parekos, Iket Praktis Makuta Wangsa, Iket Proktis Manca Putra and Iket Batu Kincir.

After Times Higher Education (THE) released a nomination for THE DataPoints Social Impact Award category in August 2021, finally THE announced the winner for the category virtually on Tuesday (14/12). Sepuluh Nopember Technology Institute of Surabaya (ITS) as the only nominator from Indonesia was declared as the winner of THE Awards Asia 2021 for category THE DataPoints Social Impact Award. The Award was awarded to ITS which transparently gave the most complete public evidencein the group of THE Impact Rankings SDGs which is related to social problems, such as health, education and poverty.

According to senior manager of World Class University ITS Affairs, Rulli Pratiwi Setiawan, at THE DataPoints Social Impact Award category, there were some prestigious overseas universities which became nominees, such as Hanyang University from Korea, Hiroshima University from Japan, Mahidol University from Thailand, and Universiti Sains Malaysia from Malaysia. Totally, there were 9 universities to be nominees in this category, including Sepuluh Nopember Technology Institute of Surabya (ITS) and ITS succeeded to be the winner. Lecturer of Department of Urban and Regional Planning said ITS' success as the winner because ITS is valued as one of universities in the global level which stands out in supporting SDGs, with an impressive transparency score. It shows that ITS is not only committed to SDGs but also showing real support to the public.

THE DataPoints Social Impact Award is an annual agenda of the British High Educational Calendar. While in Asia, 2021 became the third event of THE Awards Asia. THE Awards Asia 2021 has some categories, namely Excellence and Innovation in the Arts, International Strategy of the Year, Outstanding Support for Students, Student Recruitment Campaign of the Year, Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year, Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year, Workplace of the Year, Leadership and Management Team of the Year, THE DataPoints Improved Performance Award, and THE DataPoints Social Impact Award.

Banggai Laut is one of regencies in Central Sulawesi province which always offers natural charm, beginning from waterfalls until amazing beaches. In today’s edition, I am going to introduce you to Bone Bulusan Beach. The beach which is located in Kelapa Lima village, South Banggai district, Central Sulawesi province, will really spoil your eyes with the beauty of the natural scenery. Unlike some beaches in Indonesia in general, this beach is shady and cool. This beach has a blue sea graded tosca color, soft and yellowish sand, gray coral cliffs, and fresh green trees, which will definitely make you feel at home on this beach.

The distance of Bone Bulusan Beach is only 15 kilometers from the Regency Capital, but unfortunately, the road to this beach is not smooth. If you want to go to this beach, you should use motor vehicles, such as a minibus to get to this beach. After arriving at the parking lot, you still have to walk 100 meters to reach the beach. There are no public facilities around the beach, such as food stalls or toilets. So, make sure you bring your necessities before going to this beach.

Bone Bulusan Beach is not fully managed by the local government, but its beauty does not stop tourists from visiting. During this Covid-19 pandemic, the management of this beach continues to carry out health protocols so that you and your family can enjoy a healthy and comfortable vacation.

Unagi or freshwater eel is one of the most wanted dishes in Japanese restaurants across the globe. Currently, some 80 percent consumption of Unagi comes from cultivation, but the eel larvae still come from natural capture. Besides, the survival rate of eel larvae is very low. So, commercial use can reduce the eel population stability in nature. This condition certainly can threaten the Unagi population in Indonesia, as happened in Japan and Europe.

In a press release on Sunday (19/12), Minister of Maritime and Fishery, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that fish resources in Indonesia, including the diverse Unagi, needs to be managed responsibly to keep it long-lasting and to bring welfare for the Unagi fishermen. Conservation principles application and all involvement in managing the unagi are expected to bring a guarantee for the sustainability of Unagi in Indonesia.

In Indonesia, one of the Unagi cultivations is located in Sukabumi, West Java. The Unagi larvae from Sukabumi does support not only local cultivation, but also cultivation business across Indonesian.

Unagi cultivation development by improving the survival rate of the eels during the critical phase from larvae into elver is part of the cooperation among FAO, Maritime & Fisheries Ministry, and Sukabumi Regency Government through IFish Project. This project received funding from the Global Environment Fund. Also, Tonjong Fish Seeds Agency in Sukabumi became a demo location for elver cultivation.

Head of the Fish Research Center,Yayan Hikmayani said that the IFish project with FAO and Sukabumi regency has been ongoing since 2018. The previous effort successfully increased the larvae to level survival rate up to 60 percent. The main focus of the cooperation is land waters biodiversity conservation principles mainstreaming in the policy through demo and sustainable use, especially for the Unagi.

Meanwhile, Manager of FAO-IFish National Project, Sudarsono said that the IFish project will be continued in 2022 to arrange some strategic policies, such as regional regulation on Land Fish Management and Unagi Cultivation Management Master Plan in Sukabumi.