VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Three major and influential countries in the world, namely the United States, Russia and China, are carrying out political maneuvers towards the end of 2021. On December 7, US President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A week later, on December 15 to be exact, Chinese President Xin JiPing also met with Putin through an audio-visual network.

In contrast to Joe Biden who warned Russia not to put pressure on Ukraine, Xin JiPing emphasized the need for a strategic partnership with Vladimir Putin.

It can be seen that by raising the issue of Ukraine, the United States besides reminding Russia, also wants to emphasize its support for NATO member countries. The United States views NATO members who are also members of the European Union as strategic partners that must be embraced properly.

If Russia and the United States view tensions in Ukraine as an important issue, then the relationship between the United States and China has a problem because of the Taiwan factor. The question then, will the constellation and increasing tensions between the United States and China, and the United States and Russia, will be able to ignite further conflicts that lead to the deployment of weapons?

As is known, the three major countries now have military weapons equipped with very large missiles. Each has several aircraft carriers, thousands of advanced fighter jets, there are also hundreds of warships. In addition, the three countries also have nuclear-powered submarines. In fact, their military strength, is estimated to be able to reach almost the entire face of the earth.

Therefore, the increasing tension between the three, especially if there is an armed conflict, will certainly have a big impact internationally. It's no secret that each of these three powers has partners or alliances with other countries. The trade war between the United States and China that occurred some time ago, for example, has caused a wide economic impact in various countries.

Therefore, even if there is an escalation of tensions between the three countries, there needs to be efforts from each party to defuse it. History shows that conflict never brings good and war will always cause destruction.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Tokyo welcomed the winning of three Indonesian artists of video mapping at the 2021 Tokyo Light Festival.  In its information   received in Jakarta on Friday (17/12), the reported that the victory of the three Indonesian artists was announced at the Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo.  They are Fadjar Kurnia, Rafico Lingga Adiyoga and Muhammad Fahry Aziz who are members of The Fox, The Folks studio from Bandung, West Java.  Besides being the first winner, they also won the audience award category.

Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Heri Akhmadi happily welcomed the victory of the three young Indonesian digital artists.  He further explained that their spectacular works and winning the competition have brought a positive image of Indonesia. Moreover, Ambassador Heri hopes that the victory will also increase the collaboration between Indonesian and Japanese artists of both countries.  

Meanwhile, one of the artists, Fadjar Kurnia, told the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo that he expressed his gratitude for the winning of his artwork to become a winner at the international event.  At the same time, Fadjar, Rafiko Lingga and Muhammad Fahry Aziz also conveyed feelings of pleasure and pride for the victory of The Fox.  The Folks Indonesia team hopes that the victory would be able to inspire young Indonesians. Tokyo Light Festival is a projection mapping art competition which combines the arrangement of light and sound in a unique work of art that is strictly judged by an international panel of experts.

The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) in Surakarta, Central Java, Monday (20/12) launched the 2021 Religious Harmony Index. The launch is a strategic step because it becomes a space for policy research dissemination in the form of mapping the condition of religious harmony in Indonesia and the dynamics of actual religion. This was conveyed by Head of the Ministry of Research and Development and Education and Training Agency, Achmad Gunaryo on the sidelines of the event. He added that the launch of the 2021 religious harmony index also aims to find a solution formula for better religious policies. He acknowledged that symptoms of intolerance, extremism, and disharmony still occur in several regions across Indonesia. According to Gunaryo, the government needs to be present as a part of the solution to various religious dynamics that occur in the country. Thereby, according to Gunaryo, discussing and offering the concept of religious moderation and strengthening conditions of religious harmony are an appropriate option.

During the launch, it was revealed that the 2021 Religious Harmony Index reached a value of 72.39. This value increased compared to last year which reached a value of 67.46. This means that the efforts of the government and all Indonesian people to live more harmoniously and tolerantly are quite successful.

The founding people of this country have realized that religious and cultural diversity is not only the wealth of this nation, but also a source of disputes. Therefore, they devised the appropriate formula to form the basis for the founding of the Republic of Indonesia.

Until now, Pancasila has been the most appropriate state basis for Indonesia. If all the five precepts of Pancasila are truly implemented by all Indonesian people, there will be no more friction due to religious, cultural and economic factors. Therefore, improving understanding of Pancasila must continue to be carried out. With a better understanding, social life will also be better. Hopefully next year, the Religious Harmony Index will be better compared with this year.

Rapa'i Geleng is a dance originating from Manggeng; it is included in the Southwest Aceh Regency area. This dance is estimated to have developed since 1965. However, it started becoming popular in the 1980s and became widely known after being shown at the Aceh Cultural Week in 2004. It is not clear who the creator is. This dance uses the Rapa'i percussion instrument, that is a percussion instrument similar to the tambourine that developed along with Islamic Da'wah in the coastal areas of Aceh. When this dance is being performed, dancers often shake their heads. So, this dance is then known as Rapa'i Geleng.

The Rapai Geleng dance is performed to fill the void of time when students are bored after studying. Then, this dance is used as a means of Da'wah and now it has developed into entertainment.  This dance is also always performed at wedding ceremonies, circumcision, and performances at events welcoming guests of honor.

The Rapa'i Geleng dance is performed by 12 dancers. This dance was originally only performed by men. But in its development, it can also be danced by women. Of course, it is danced separately. When dancing, the dancers wear black-and-yellow costumes combined with red beads. They dance to the beat of drums while singing. The poem that is brought is socialization to the community about how to live in society, religion and solidarity that is upheld. For Acehnese people, this dance is a symbol of religion, instills moral values in the community, and also explains how to live in society.