VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Director General of Culture of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Hilmar Farid will represent the Indonesian government to receive the handover of historical collections from the Netherlands represented by Gunay Uslu, Junior Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on Monday, July 10, 2023 at the Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden, the Netherlands.

At the same event, the Technical Arrangement and Acknowledgment of Transfer of Rights from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Indonesia will also be signed.

The repatriation of Indonesian collections in the Netherlands is possible thanks to the cooperation and hard work of the two repatriation committees as well as the support of both governments, namely, the Directorate General of Culture of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology which has initiated the formation of the Indonesian Repatriation Team and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, Chairman of the Repatriation Team for Indonesian Collections in the Netherlands, and the Dutch Colonial Objects Repatriation Committee, led by Lilian Gonçalvez-Ho Kang You, have been communicating positively and productively for the past two years in order to continue cooperation and encourage the return of historical objects from the Netherlands to Indonesia.

The history of the art collection's arrival in the Netherlands remains partly unclear. It began with the Prime Minister of East Indonesia, Ide Agung Anak Gde Agung, who is said to have organized exhibitions of the artworks in several Dutch and European cities between 1948 and 1950.

But an article in De Vrije Katheder, December 23, 1946 had discussed an exhibition of Pita Maha's works, 'an important collection', at the van Lier art gallery in Castricum. In 1955, the collection was deposited at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

After a series of comprehensive expert studies, four artifact collections, namely the 132 Balinese art objects collection of Pita Maha, the Singasari Statue, the Lombok royal heirloom, and the Puputan Klungkung keris will be returned to Indonesia. The 132 collections of Balinese art objects include paintings, wood carvings, silver objects and textiles by maestro artists who are members of the Pita Maha art group.

An association of Balinese artists founded on January 29, 1936 by Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, Walter Spies, and Rudolf Bonet. Meanwhile, the four Singasari statues kept at the Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden are prima donnas from the 13th century.

The four statues come from Singasari temple which was erected to honor the death of King Kertanegara, the last dynasty of the Singasari kingdom. The four statues that will return to Indonesia are Durga, Mahakala, Nandishvara, and Ganesha. (VOI)

VOINews, Jakarta - Dutch mime theater group Bambie is touring Indonesia this month, performing “Bambie Zero”. In this performance, two men are searching for the ‘meaning of things’, where they withdraw into their absurdist universe.

The theater performance is coming to Erasmus Huis Jakarta on July 8, Pendhapa Art Space Yogyakarta on July 12, and closing in Universitas Negeri Makassar on July 18.

Bambie Zero is a philosophical and physical slapstick about the sadness and beauty of failure. In the play, the men withdraw into their absurdist universe and conduct purposeful research, but stand in the way of themselves.

The sources of inspiration for the play include Flaubert’s novel ‘Bouvard & Pécuchet’, the indestructible ‘Ne me quitte pas’ and the black painting by Malevich.

“We very much look forward to meeting our Indonesian audience and colleagues. We hope that people get touched by the absurdist and universal theater language that we present. Of course, we also hope to inspire and get inspired,” said Jochem Stavenuiter and Paul van der Laan, actors, and co-founders of Bambie.

As the Dutch cultural center in Indonesia, Erasmus Huis is proud to bring one of the best Dutch theater companies to perform in Indonesia. Deputy Head of Culture and Communication at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta Jaef de Boer added,

“Bambie brings theater in an intimate, funny, sometimes weird way especially made for grown-ups. Their mime performance allows us to review our own lives, and is full of wonderful scenes, slapstick fights and recognizable feelings all compiled in a compelling visual performance. These topics are universal and also relatable to Indonesians,” he added. (VOI)

VOInews, Jakarta: Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi reported on the progress made regarding humanitarian assistance for the people of Myanmar who are in the midst of conflict. According to her, the AHA Center as a distributor of aid has gained access to channel ASEAN humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar in need. The AHA Center has also successfully completed the Joint Needs Assessment and has distributed the initial phase of assistance in May 2023.

"Currently the AHA Center is preparing to distribute aid to 400 households or around 1,450 IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). Sagaing and Magway regions will be one of the next priorities," Retno said in a statement delivered in Jakarta, Friday (7/7).

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno also said that ASEAN through the AHA Center has also acted quickly to help victims of cyclone Mokha. The assistance is worth around USD 1.6 million.

"Bilaterally, Indonesia delivered its assistance on June 26, 2023, as much as 45 tons with a value of more than USD0.5 million in the form of ready-to-eat food, tarpaulins, tents, carpentry tools, generators, blankets, and drinking water needed by the victims of the Mokha cyclone, especially in the Rakhine State region, Myanmar," she added.

In various communications, Indonesia also heard information about the need for vaccines, especially for children. According to Retno, Indonesia is requesting data on vaccine needs and is ready to contribute.

"All parties must be committed to the distribution of humanitarian assistance with the principle of no one left behind and not politicize humanitarian assistance. The interests of the people must be the priority of all parties," she said. (VOI/Andy)

VOINews, Jakarta - Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi emphasized that inclusive dialogue is the only way to realize peace in Myanmar. This was conveyed in a statement delivered regarding Indonesia's readiness to hold the 56th ASEAN Ministerial Meetings/Post Ministerial Conference in Jakarta, Friday (7/7).

"Inclusive dialog is the only way forward. If the parties want a durable peace in Myanmar," she said.

Retno Marsudi explained that Indonesia implemented the principle of making the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) as the main reference, making the decisions of ASEAN leaders as the basis for action, maintaining the values and principles of the ASEAN Charter and being ready to bridge differences, in an effort to resolve the conflict in Myanmar. According to him, dialog with all parties is key in implementing the 5PC.

"In almost 7 months, Indonesia has conducted very intensive and inclusive engagements. 110 engagements have been conducted, both in the form of in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and telephone conversations," Retno said.

She explained that intensive and inclusive dialog is important to do and is the key to building trust, listening to the position of each party, and trying to build bridges to narrow differences. In addition, she said, dialogue is also important to encourage de-escalation of violence and reject the use of violence, encourage inclusive dialogue, and invite all parties to help and support the provision of humanitarian assistance with the principle of 'no one is left behind'.

"Engagements are not a goal but a tool to achieve the goal of inclusive dialog to achieve durable peace," she said.

Retno explained that dialog is the first building block. Now, according to her, it is time to start building the second building block, namely encouraging dialog between the parties towards national inclusive dialog.

In addition to the parties in Myanmar, according to Retno, Indonesia is also building communication with Myanmar's neighboring countries and other key players.

"With the main message that they support the implementation of the 5-point consensus," she concluded.

In addition, ASEAN is also still very concerned about the increasing use of violence in Myanmar which has resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of public facilities. According to Foreign Minister Retno, this must be stopped immediately.

"In all engagements conducted by Indonesia with all parties in Myanmar, the urge to stop this violence continues to be conveyed and prioritized," she said. (VOI/Andy)