VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Consulate General in Mumbai presents a virtual Mahabharata ballet

The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Mumbai, India presented a virtual performance namely Mahabharata Ballet which was able to be accessed by the Indonesian and Indian people and people from all over the world through Zoom and Youtube platform on Saturday night at 17.30 Indian time. The ballet entitled "Lembayung Kurusetra" or "Mahabharata Ballet" was presented directly by the performers of Bungan Dedari Karawitan Studio from the Ardha Chandra Open Theater, Taman Budaya, Denpasar, Bali.

The Indonesian Consul General in Mumbai, Agus P. Saptono, in a press statement in Jakarta on Saturday (19/12) noted that the current condition of the Coid-19 pandemic has not enabled the Indonesian Consulate to bring an art team to perform “live” in Mumbai. However, the virtual performances were presented again in a bit to promote tourism potential and the wealth of Indonesian arts and cultures. The performance was held to continue the success of the previous similar performance, "Ramayana Ballet" which was held virtually on September 5, with artists performing live from the Prambanan Temple area, Jogjakarta. He also affirmed that the Mahabharata Ballet is expected to open up public insights about the close relationship between Indonesia and India, particularly from people-to- people contacts reflected in the similarities of several parts of cultural arts owned by both countries.

Ten days before the end of 2020, Britain and the European Union still have not fully agreed on matters related to Brexit or the UK leaving the European Union. The UK and the European Union still disagree on two important rules for both of them, concerning fishing and business competition. According to schedule, Britain and the European Union would have to settle differences regarding those matters on 20 December 2022. The two days delay indicates that the two sides are holding on to their respective positions. The delay in the agreement has further shortened the deadline, ahead of Britain's exit from the European Union on January 31, 2021. Britain has also had to sign a number of agreements related to its relationship with the European Union on January 1, 2021. Regarding the possibility of an agreement not being made, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his optimism that it would not occur. After a deadlock on fishing and business competition talk, the British Prime Minister insisted that Britain would still benefit even if there was no agreement.

As reported by the Associated Press and quoted by CNN Indonesia, from the European Union, it is France which has a strong interest in the fisheries sector agreement. The country really hopes that with the Brexit deal, French fishermen can fish in British waters. So far the British have full control over their waters. Both the UK and the European Union maintain their respective positions on fishing rules. Britain asked that the quota for fishing by EU countries in its waters be reduced to 25 percent of the quota before Brexit. The two sides also differed regarding the transition period. The UK considers that a 3-year transition period is enough for EU fishermen to adjust to the new rules. But the European Union asked for a longer period of six years. The British Prime Minister emphasized that Britain has the right to fully determine the rules within the country.

For both parties a UK exit without a deal or a Brexit No Deal can have benefits but also disadvantages. In the trade sector, the two parties will impose different import tariffs for commodities and customs regulations. Both the UK and EU member states will face problems in this regard. For Britain, trade barriers with the European Union can have a negative impact on its economy. While still a member, the European Union was the largest single market. But by leaving the European Union without a deal, Britain must comply with WTO rules. British companies that rely on exporting their products to the European Union countries will be affected by the absence of a trade agreement.

Apart from trade, Brexit no Deal will also have an impact on employment issues. Different rules post Brexit will affect the fate of British citizens working in the European Union countries, and vice versa.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now being tested for his skills in solving the Brexit issue. The failure of negotiations which resulted in Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement had consequences for the country. Brexit no Deal will have an impact on the UK economy which is now trying to rise from the downturn caused by Covid 19. Johnson also has to convince the British people and his political opponents in parliament that the decisions he has taken are correct and for the dignity of Great Britain and the good of the people.

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the Radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is ‘Happy Birthday’ or Selamat Ulang Tahun.

Read to this conversation about Selamat Ulang Tahunwhich means ‘Happy Birthday’. Kevin wishes Rama a happy birthday. Rama treats Kevin to have lunch at the canteen.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

To wish a happy birthday for someone, you can use some expressions such as Selamat ulang tahun, Selamat berulang tahun which means ‘happy birthday’. In the dialogue Kevin use the expression Selamat ulang tahun, Rama. After that he continue with Semoga panjang umur dan sehat selalu which means ‘Wish you a long life and good health always’.

Felicitation/congratulations are usually followed by wishes and prayers to the person who is being congratulated.

Rama wants to treat kevin, he says Aku mau mentraktir kamu makan siang which means ‘I will treat you for lunch’. Kevin thanks Rama for the treat by saying Terima kasih atas traktirannya which means ‘thank you for the treat’.

Traktiran or treat is something that someone buys or pays for others. In Indonesia, someone who celebrates birthday usually treats their friends. The treat can be a form of foods and drinks. At Campus or School someone usually treats their friends for lunch.

That was “Let’s Speak Bhs Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia.

Southeast Sulawesi province has a lot of potential interesting tourism attractions that you need to visit. There have been many foreign tourists on vacation to enjoy the natural beauty of Southeast Sulawesi. The beauty of this tourism spot is guaranteed to stun you. As a nation, Indonesia deserves to be proud because it has the most beautiful underwater paradise in the world. This underwater paradise is known as Wakatobi National Park, which is located in Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province. Wakatobi National Park was established in 1996, with a total area of 1.39 million hectares, consisting of marine and coral biodiversity which occupies one of the highest priority positions of marine conservation in Indonesia. The beauty and richness of the Wakatobi National Park area is well known in the world, especially after the Wallacea Expedition from England in 1995. The Wallacea Expedition stated that this Southeast Sulawesi region is indeed rich in coral species.

Wakatobi National Park is one of 50 national parks in Indonesia, which is located in Wakatobi district, Southeast Sulawesi. In this park, there is an undersea natural beauty which has 25 coral reefs. There are clusters of coral reefs of around 112 species from 13 families which are located at 25 points along the 600 km coastline. In addition to the beauty presented by various coral reefs, the park also has various species of fish. The wealth of fish species owned by this national park reaches 93 types of fish for consumption and ornamental fish.

There are also three types of turtles that often live on the islands in Wakatobi National Park, namely the hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle and the Lekang turtle. For tourists who like the beauty of the underwater world, they can do several activities in Wakatobi National Park, such as diving, snorkeling and swimming to see the beautiful coral reefs and various underwater animals. In addition, they can also witness the various cultures of the local community there. The most interesting thing is that you can see dolphins that appear on the surface. The best place to see dolphins is at Mola Raya Harbor, which can be reached in just 20 minutes from Wanci City, Wangi-Wangi by chartering a boat. This National Park already has quite complete facilities, ranging from road facilities that are quite smooth to taxis that are ready to take you to your destination. The food stalls are also relatively clean and the lodging around the area is quite affordable.