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Photo credit: Nias Heritage Museum

Maena dance is a traditional dance of Nias tribe. This dance is performed as part of the traditional ceremonies of the Nias tribe, such as welcoming guests, weddings and others.

Maena is an entertainment dance. For Nias tribe, this dance has a special meaning, such as for unity and togetherness. This can be seen from how they dance and do it together with great joy.

Maena dance is performed en masse. The dancers can be male or female. The more dancers, the more lively the dance. Dancers usually wear traditional Nias clothing. However, the use of this costume is also adjusted to the event, so there are also those who use casual clothing. Since Maena Dance is a dance of joy, the audience who do not wear traditional clothing are also allowed to join dancing.

Maena Dance performances are basically only accompanied by songs or poems, which are chanted by the dancers. Then the dancers dance with movements that are adjusted to the tempo or rhythm of the song. But there are also some Maena dance performances that are accompanied by traditional Nias musical instruments to make it look more festive and interesting.

Maena Dance performances usually begins with rhymes performed by Sanutuo Maena (traditional elders or tribal elders). The rhymes are usually adjusted to the theme of the event. Then proceed with the Maena lyrics (fanehe maena) which are chanted by all dancers while dancing.

The movements in Maena Dance are actually quite simple and repetitive. The movements are dominated by a combination of hand and foot movements that are moved rhythmically back and forth, as well as left and right.

Maena dance movements consist of Maena Gaolo or forming a circle, and also a rectangle with footsteps consisting of Maena Garagazi (Maena Gergaji) whose footsteps go forward then backward. There is also a movement with a triangular shape. But what is often used, is the movement of footsteps with a rectangular shape.

Photo credit: Instagram/@indonesiainkyiv/seasia.co

The Ukrainian Post Agency Ukrposhta has launched a special edition stamp featuring a photo of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

The stamps with the photo of Indonesia's 8th President were uploaded by the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev on its Instagram account @indonesiainkyiv, monitored in Jakarta on 11 November.

According to a press release received from the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, the launch was initiated by the NGO The Ukrainian Initiative, chaired by Indonesianist Yurii Kosenko.

Yurii Kosenko said that the printing of the special edition stamps was related to the inauguration of Indonesia's 8th President.

Indonesian Ambassador to Ukraine Arief Basalamah received the stamps in person at Ukrposhta's office in Nizhyn City, accompanied by Yurii Kosenko, on October.

Ambassador Arief expressed his appreciation to Ukrposhta and the Ukrainian Initiative for printing the stamps, which he said showed support for Indonesia's new leader.

He said that Indonesia is ready to cooperate with Ukraine in supporting the advancement of bilateral relations.

Although only a limited print run, these stamps can officially be used for postal deliveries throughout Ukraine.

Ukrposhta is Ukraine's official national postal agency, providing postal, logistics, financial and trade services to individuals and businesses.

Photo credit: Airlangga University

Every November 10, the Indonesian people commemorate Heroes' Day. The city of Surabaya is often called the City of Heroes because of the long history of Indonesian heroes in fighting against colonialism in this city, especially in the battle of Surabaya in November1945.

Kalisosok Prison is an old prison located in the city of Surabaya and has been standing since the early 19th century. It was built during the Dutch colonial government led by Governor General Herman Willem Daendels, on September 1, 1808.

The name Kalisosok prison is taken from the name of the place where it is located, which is in Kalisosok village in the north of the city of Surabaya.

Kalisosok Prison has been standing since the Dutch colonial era and continued to be used until the Republic era. The Prison has gone through many series of historical events of the nation, especially the Surabaya residences in the effort for Indonesian independence.

Kalisosok Prison is also a place of detention for important figures of the Indonesian nation who fought for the country’s independence . Such as K.H. Mas Mansyur (1896-1946), a Muhammadiyah figure who along with Sukarno, M. Hatta and Ki Hajar Dewantara were known as Empat Serangkai or the Four Figures of Indonesian independence.

Mas Mansyur had to go to Kalisosok prison, because he actively helped the Surabaya youth movement in resisting the Dutch, and made the Dutch felt the need to get rid of Mas Mansyur by imprisoning him in Kalisosok prison, and finally Mas Mansyur died there in 1946.

Over time, several parts of Kalisosok prison began to show signs of declining. The impact of weather and the age of the building naturally caused damage to the original architecture.

The Surabaya city government finally made this building a cultural heritage that aims to maintain historical values ​​and local wisdom. This is important so that later and future generations can appreciate and understand the roots of the nation's history, and be inspired by the spirit of struggle that was once embedded in this building.

If you are in the City of Heroes, Surabaya, find time to visit the cultural heritage of Kalisosok prison which is also part of the history of Indonesian Independence.

Photo credit: Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya

The high demand for household electricity requires innovation of renewable energy sources as a substitute for fossil fuels which are increasingly depleted. Starting from this problem, a team of students from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya, East Java, created an environmentally friendly energy source from oil sludge waste bacteria. Head of the ITS Gasoileum Team Ramadhita Putra Purnomo explained that oil sludge is one of the wastes produced from the processing and storage of crude oil. If this waste is disposed of, special stages are required so that the waste does not pollute the environment. Rama and his team studied oil sludge waste and found the presence of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa bacteria as a microbial fuel cell (MFC) which has the potential to produce electrical energy from electrons resulting from the decomposition of nutrient glucose by bacteria.

To produce electricity, the bacteria need to be mixed with household waste, such as vegetables or fruits. The household waste is cut into small pieces and mixed with hydrochloric acid (HCl). The goal is to break down the nutrient glucose molecules into smaller pieces. Next, the mixture is put into a 1,000 milliliter tube that has been fitted with a multimeter anode and cathode. The mixture is arranged to form three layers of parts with a ratio of 1:3. From this mixture, a bio-electrochemical system will then occur that converts household waste glucose into electrons. These electrons then produce voltage and electric current.

To obtain maximum electrical potential, it takes up to seven days. In the seventh time span, the electrical energy produced by these bacteria reached 21 watts or equivalent to the power to light a flashlight. The results of this research have led the team to become the first winner in the 2024 Forum Improvement & Innovation Award (IIA) event recently.