VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Kepa Island is a small island in Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara which has stunning clear blue waters. Enjoying the sunset on Kepa Island is so special, unlike anywhere else. Those of you who like water activities will definitely be interested in visiting this island, because Kepa Island has a stretch of white sand like flour with a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Looking at the ocean with a charming stretch of green hills and small islands around Kepa becomes a special color for your vacation. Alor Regency has 15 islands and six of them are inhabited. Kepa Island is like a forgotten island because it is far from civilization. However, this condition is the main attraction because it still has its original enchantment.

You will feel a new adventure on Kepa Island. You can stay in the traditional village bamboo huts of Alor, which are built on a cliff close to the beach, don't forget to book a place before coming. There are few huts available and they were built to maintain the authenticity of the environment around the island. Kepa Island is the best destination for you to explore nature and enjoy the underwater panorama. The coral reefs around the island are still very authentic. Because this area is surrounded by the Timor Sea, Sawu Sea, and Flores Sea which are breeding grounds for whales. If you are lucky, you will see a group of whales appearing on the surface. If you want to see the rich marine life, you can dive or snorkel in the waters of Kepa Island. You can swim with the colorful fishes that sometimes hide in the coral reefs.

To get to Kepa Island takes about 10 minutes by boat from Keil Pulau Pier. Alor Island itself can be reached by flight about 45 minutes from El Tari Kupang Airport, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara to Kalabahi, the capital of Alor Island. Kalabahi becomes a transit point for tourists before continuing their journey to the small group of islands that surround Alor, including Kepa Island. From Kalabahi Airport in Alor, you still need to continue the journey for about one and half hours by car and continue by boat. This island does not have adequate infrastructure. There are no asphalt roads, public transportation or food stalls. In fact, only 30 people live on Kepa Island. So, make sure you bring all your personal needs before going to this island.

Indonesian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Djauhari Oratmangun explained the opportunities for Indonesia to expand its cooperation with the world’s most populous country, China in a webinar on Sharia economy Friday (29/10).  Foreign trade is still the main supporter of China’s economic resilience. China’s exports and imports have continued to grow positively over the last 15 months.

Citing data from the World Bank, Ambassador Djauhari stated that China’s economy is estimated to grow 8.5% this year or an increase of 0.4% compared to April projection. According to Ambassador Djauhari, not losing that momentum, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing held a business forum recently. In the Sharia economic forum, Ambassador Djauhari emphasized the importance of 3 sectors that can encourage economic growth: green economy, health sector development and digitalization.

In the green economic sector, according to him, Indonesia and China have the same views on reducing the use of fossil-based energy. In the health sector, Indonesia and China have cooperated since last year’s Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, Ambassador Djauhari also stated that until September 2021, China exported 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. In the digitalization sector, Indonesia has established partnerships with many countries, including China as the biggest player in the digital sector in the world. From January to September 2021, bilateral trade between Indonesia and China reached US$ 85.4 billion or around Rp1.2 quadrillion or an increase of          50% compared to the previous year. China’s investment in Indonesia reached US$2.3 billion.

Last October 25, the 7^th Sekala Bekhak Festival (FSB) in 2021 was held at the Liwa Botanical Gaden (KRL) in Lampung, Sumatra. The event which was held in a hybrid way aims to preserve arts and culture of the ancestral heritage, while at the same time to awak entourism and the local creative economy with the theme “Enjoy the Nature and Culture”. The Sekala Bekhak Festival was enlivened with a various of interesting activities, such as Bumi Sekala Bekhak Gambus Orchestra performance, Nyambai Tradition, Sekura Dance, Tourism Culture Photo and Video Competition as well as Tourism and Cultural Destination Story Telling Competitions. Now we will introduce you to one of these activities, namely Nyambai Tradition. According to Suntan Sarif, who is Lampung traditional figure, Nyambai is a gathering of unmarried men and women for social bond, getting to know each other by showing their ability to dance and reciprocate pantun or rhyming poetry.

According to the webpage kemdikbud.go.id, Nyambai customary procession is found in the nayuh ritual or wedding ceremony, which is only done by Saibatin indigenous people in West Lampung. This tradition has a standard procedure. This procedure is determined by Sutan or the local traditional leader of Saibatin, so that in the procession, you just have to follow the same phases. The sequence of Nyambai traditional activities among Saibatin indigenous people of West Lampung are: preparation, opening, implementation of Nyambai and closing.

Preparation for the Nyambai event is carried out the day before the nayuh ritual is held or at noon before the nyambai is held. The night before the nyambai event, there is a procession where meghanai or some bachelors representing the baya (the event owner) pick up the muli or girls in the village around the nyambai will be held. These bachelors come to the girl's house and ask for permission from the girl's parents to take part in the nyambai event and will take the girls back home when the event is over. The girl will start to prepare or dress up if her father or mother allows her. Normally, the event owner has built a ward which is used as a place for nyambai to be held and the next day it is used as a place for nayuh invitees. After the muli and meghanai gather at the event owner's house, the nyambai event can begin. The nyambai executive committee has prepared 4 shawls. Later these shawls are used to determine who will show their skills in dancing and rhyming. This activity is called Throwing the Shawl. The Nyambai tradition begins with an opening by the head of the meghanai (Keala Bujang). Then it is followed by dance performance and welcoming rhymes from the baya (the event owner).

President Joko Widodo explained that with its rich natural potential, Indonesia continues to contribute in handling climate change. This was stated by President Joko Widodo when speaking at the World Leaders' Summit on Climate Change or COP26 at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday (1/11). He added that the rate of deforestation fell significantly, the lowest over the last 20 years. Forest fires decreased 82 percent in 2020.

On that occasion, President Joko Widodo also pointed out concrete actions that have been taken, starting from the rehabilitation of mangrove forests with a target of 600 thousand hectares by 2024 until the rehabilitation of 3 million critical forests from 2010 - 2019. Other actions that have been taken by Indonesia are the development of an electric car ecosystem, the construction of the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia, the use of new and renewable energy, including biofuels, and the development of clean energy-based industries, as well as the construction of the world's largest green industrial area in North Kalimantan.

What's interesting about what President Joko Widodo stated at the summit which was attended by nearly 200 countries was that President Joko Widodo loudly questioned how much contribution and technology transfer of the developed countries could be shared with Indonesia. He also emphasized the need for immediate concrete action and implementation.

The concrete action must be shown immediately by all parties. On various occasions, this was also pointed out by Indonesia to the leaders of developed countries, such as in a bilateral meeting with U.S.  President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the COP 26 Summit. As reported by VOA, President Joe Biden supported Indonesia's proposal to urge rich countries to assist poor countries in mitigating climate change for their climate action plans.

The statement and question disclosed by President Joko Widodo at the World Leaders' Summit on Climate Change are the consistency of the commitment. Indonesia has been working hard to fulfill that commitment to achieve its zero emission target by 2060, not just rhetoric. Of course, it can't work alone.