VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Embassy in Sofia promoted Indonesian tourism and culture in Bulgaria through the exhibition of pictures at the Sofia City bus stop. The promotion has started since September 20, 2022; the bus stop at Eagle Bridge and South Park, Sofia City has a new look as part of the art project #Art4diplomacy. The embassy in its statement on Thursday (6/10) stated that both shelters are wrapped in bright colors which display pictures of tourism attractions and Indonesian typical food.

Indonesian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Iwan Bogananta pointed out that  art and culture are powerful diplomatic tools. Thereby, the Indonesian Embassy in Sofia is always active in projects related to art and culture and uses them in Indonesia's diplomatic efforts abroad. Ambassador Iwan also affirmed  that  diplomacy wrapped in art and culture will be more efficiently accepted by the local people  and  also able to attract leaders.

Moreover, the Ambassador further explained that the exhibition and promotion of Indonesian cultural arts in public spaces like what the Indonesian Embassy in Sofia does at bus stops in Bulgaria are very effective because of involving the general public and being able to disseminate information more broadly. Then, in the context of promoting Indonesia's activities, Ambassador Iwan and his family traveled around Sofia City by using public transportation on weekends to enjoy the #Art4Diplomacy art project.

Ambassador Iwan specifically stopped at the Eagle Bridge bus stop to explain the promotion of Indonesia and the meaning contained in the 3 pictures displayed at the bus stop to the local residents. The three pictures displayed have gone through a curation process and carried a special message for the local community.

The first picture is Rendang which is a typical food of Indonesian  from West Sumatra and it is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage and rated as the world's best food according to a number of multinational cable news channels. The second picture is "10 New Balis", which are ten tourism destinations offered by Indonesia for foreign tourists. These destinations can be a list of tourism attractions to visit for potential tourists. The third picture is chosen to promote Indonesia's presidency at the G20 this year on which the G20 high-level conference will be held in Bali in November.