VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

photo : kbridenhaag

Dancers from Madaloka Dance Studio, who performed Kuda Lumping Dance hypnotized visitors of the Open Dag 2020 event at the community activity center in Best City or commonly known as Cultuurspoor Best (Sept 12). The flexible and dynamic movements combined with the colorful costumes of the dancers made the visitors keep capturing this moment while still paying attention to health protocols. The Open Dag is an annual event held in Dutch cities. This time, the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague along with the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture visited the center of community activities in Best City which is located in the South of the Netherlands. Apart from introducing the Kuda Lumping dance from East Java, the Peacock Dance from West Java was also shown to the public at this activity. Nasi Tumpeng was also served to complete the experience of various Indonesian cultures and culinary delights.

Indonesia's participation in the Cultuurspoor Best also marked the opening of an Indonesian language course program for basic level foreign speakers (BIPA) and a course in traditional Indonesian dance. Both programs can be followed free of charge and are a form of cultural diplomacy carried out by the Indonesian government through the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague. Chargé d'Affaires ad Interim at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, Fikri Cassidy expressed his appreciation to the City Government of Best and Cultuurspoor Best for integrating Indonesian language courses and traditional Indonesian dance courses into their programs. He also said that the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague would continue to support and present programs in a bid to promote Indonesian culture in the future.

Besides the city of Best, there are also other cities in the Netherlands that support the Indonesian Cultural House (RBI) The Hague program. The high appreciation and interest from the people of Best was conveyed by Deputy Mayor of Best, Ria van der Hamsvoord-Huijber and  Director of Cultuurspoor, Ingrid van Beek in his remarks. Furthermore, he also stated that the Open Dag aims to provide information on courses that can be followed by the local community. Typical courses include multilingual courses, ballet courses, theater, and photography.