VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Welcome to “INDONESIAN WONDER”, a daily segment featuring tourism, culinary arts, fine arts and culture from various regions across Indonesia. In today’s edition, we will invite you to enjoy Bekamal Culinary from Banyuwangi.

Banyuwangi is one of the cities in East Java province. Osing or Using is indigenous people who inhabit Banyuwangi region. Traveling to Banyuwangi is not complete if you do not interact directly with the life of Osing people. They have rich and unique customs and traditions. There are Banyuwangi Gandrung Art, Barong Dance, Kuntulan, Tumpeng Sewu Tradition, and Jamuran Tradition. In addition, the Osing tribe also has a typical culinary that you deserve to enjoy. One of them is Bekamal, the culinary using meat as its main ingredient.

To taste it, the meat is then processed again to be consumed as a side dish. Before reprocessing, to minimize the distinctive aroma, bekamal meat must be washed with clean air and then soaked overnight with lemon juice. This is done, in addition to reduce the distinctive aroma, also reducing the dominant saltiness in Bekamal. The Osing community in Gintangan Village, usually serve Bekamal meat as side dishes. The meat put in bamboo rice or Sego Jajang. To try the taste of Bekamal that has been processed, you can find the culinary in Gintangan village, Banyuwangi. In addition, Bekamal is also sold in the form of packaging.

Bekamal is taken from the Javanese and Using language, which means the full of charity. The traditional culinary, is estimated has been existed since the 16th century when Islam began to enter the Blambangan kingdom, because at that time, people are familiar with the celebration of Eid al-Adha, so the meat stock is abundant during the sacrifice. The kingdom is a fragment of the last Majapahit kingdom in Java. The overflow of meat by the community is preserved into Bekamal. Formerly the local community, the meat was put into ‘kendil’ which is previously flavored and then closed tightly to at least 10 days. After the meat is considered cooked it can be taken just a little bit, to be sauteed as a side dish.

That was the segment of Indonesian Wonder, with the topic about Bekamal Culinary from Banyuwangi.

The Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystems in cooperation with the Bogor Forest Research and Development Center at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry conducted research on morel mushroom in Mount Rinjani National Park, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara -NTB. Researcher of the Bogor Forest Research and Development Center at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Dr. Maman Turjaman in Mataram said that the research is aimed to obtain the cultivation technique of Rinjani morel mushroom both by site and ex-site programs.

Maman Turjaman said that his side will also conduct a cultivation test inside the Mount Rinjani National Park area with certain locations eligible for mushrooms to grow. There are 1,000 planting media that have been prepared. He said that the morel mushroom that will be tested for cultivation is morel Rinjani (morchella crassipes). The designation of the mushroom name is based on research at National Center For Biotechnology (NCBI). The mushroom was found by the cultivation team of Mount Rinjani National Park -BTNGR when they were conducting routine monitoring within the area in 2009. The findings were later reported to the Bogor Research and Development Center - P3H, for further investigation. He said that morel is the second most expensive mushroom in the world, after the truffles mushroom. Therefore, the researchers are motivated to do research, beginning in 2017.  Researcher, Asep Hidayat added that the morel mushrooms have been cultivated widely in Europe since a hundred years ago. But the researchers in the country have firstly conducted research, before disseminating the cultivation technology to the wider community.

Besides in Europe, the mushroom researchers in China have also conducted research on the plant that can only grow in the tropical area since 1980. Then in 1992, they found the formula for cultivation. However, the cultivation for commercial interest began to be done in 2012. Maman Turjaman said, for Morel Rinjani, the Bogor Research and Development Center started exploration until laboratory test in 2017, just in 10 months. Now,the center will try the cultivation technology. If the result is good, it will be cultivated massively.

Meanwhile, Head of Sub-Division of Cultivation of Mount Rinjani National Park, Dwi Pangestu hoped that the experimental cultivation of "morel" Rinjani mushroom in conservation area could produce positive result. Therefore, the plant can be one of the non-timber forest products that can be utilized and cultivated to improve the welfare of the community around the area of Mount Rinjani. Besides morel mushroom, the area also produces ferns, grass, medicinal plants, honey, and rattan.

That was My Indonesia.

Welcome to the Rhythm of the Indonesian Archipelago, a weekly segment introducing you to Indonesian traditional music and musical instrument from across Indonesia. This week, we’ll invite you to know more about a traditional instrument from Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi.

To know the sound of instrument is not easy, especially the sound that is produced from traditional music. There is not exact number yet about how many traditional instruments in Indonesia are. In today’s edition, we will invite you to Polewali Mandar. Polewali Mandar regency is one of regions in West Sulawesi. Before Polewali Mandar, the region was called Polewali Mamasa which was administratively in South Sulawesi province.  After the region was expanded with the establishment of Mamasa as regency, the name of Polewali Mamasa is changed to be Polewali Mandar.

Various kinds of traditional arts, which are grown and developed by the people of Polewali Mandar, are an intuition of community for self entertainment. One of instruments, which is very unique from the region, is Calong.

This instrument, which is made from coconut and bamboo, began to be introduced in 2007 through Calong musical performance. Usually, the instrument is played solo. But by and by in its progress, the instrument has developed and can be played massively. You have just listened to Calong rhythm from Polewali Mandar. To make Calong is not easy and it needs long process. Firstly, the craftsman should find suitable coconut. The selected coconut is not too young and old. The coconut is also not too wet and dried. Because, such coconut is easy to lose its peel.  The second material is dried bamboo. The bamboo is usually used as buoy of Sandeq boat. The bamboo must be dried for 6 months. So, the sound, which is produced, is good. Then, there is wood as support in order Calong can stand well. To unite all pieces of bamboos and coconut, the craftsman uses stove wick and wire. Within one day, the craftsman only produces 3 until 5units of Calong.

Calong only produces tone: do, re, mi and si. The instrument is communication toll for farmers to give information by beating Calong at night. Calong craftsman or familiarly called ‘Papa Isang’ explained about Calong.

“…Calong is able to produce sound which can be heard until 3 – 5 kilometers away at night. In the past, Calong was played on leg; finally it finds one container, namely coconut. And this container can survive until now.” He said

Calong traditional instrument has sound like marimba but there is difference from tone. Calong produces very strong and high pitch. Calong tone is pentatonic or there are only 4 tones and arranged traditionally like on piano. At present, craftsmen create Calong with complete tones or called ‘Diatonic’ because it has enough tones to collaborate with modern instruments and more active in arrangement, because it has many similar tones like guitar.Adaptability, which is conducted by Calong craftsmen, is an effort for young generation of Polewali Mandar to love Calong. Of course, the young are certainly those who will preserve Calong and introduce to all people throughout the world. Well, that was a glimpse of traditional instrument from Polewali Mandar,West Sulawesi featuring Calong.

February 13 becomes a special day for workers and radio listeners. Since 2012, this date has been celebrated as World Radio Day. "Radio and Sport" become the the theme of 7th anniversary of World Radio Day in 2018. Sport has become the focus of the world and Asia this year. There is a winter Olympics held in South Korea. FIFA World Cup 2018 is to place in Russia and ASIAN GAMES 2018 in Indonesia.

For Radio Republik Indonesia -RRI, this theme is very appropriate. The commitment to spread sport activities proves that RRI is appointed as the radio license holder of broadcasting of the World Cup 2018. Quoting the statement of the Director of Public Broadcasting RRI, M. Rohanuddin, with the FIFA license, it is expected that RRI provides its best contribution in a bid to satisfy the needs of listeners who come from various circles and places throughout Indonesia, and thisn can be carried out well. Listeners can also share the broadcast or World Cup report.

In addition, Indonesia this year will also host the 18th ASIAN Games. RRI has to be responsible to distribute the information about the matches, achievements, and new records created at every 4-year sport event. The competition in the game must be an interesting attraction that can be spread to the listeners.

Surely, radio can present not only matches, competition and achievements as broadcasting material, but also there are many other aspects expected to be the inspiration of audiences. The moment of three major sporting events this year, suchas the Winter Olympics, the 2018 World Cup, and the Asian Games must be used by radio broadcasters, especially RRI to create exciting broadcasts. The broadcast is expected to be able to make the listeners recognize and understand the diversity of the sport as a legacy of tradition. Radio, for example, should be able to create events that promote gender equality in sports. More importantly, radio must present broadcast that reinforces the spirit of peace and development in the world of sports. These three issues are the focus of UNESCO's World Radio Day commemorative sub-theme that is expected to be realized by radio broadcast.

Amid the rise of social media as a new communication medium, it is believed that radio can still play a major role to provide information that inspires its audience. At least in Indonesia, the spirit of sport will be spread to at least 62.3 million listeners; the number of listeners is based on AC Nielsen data for the 3rd semester in 2017.

With its power to entertain, educate, inform and inspire, radio can certainly sound the sport through its broadcast. As UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres put it: “On World Radio Day, let us celebrate both radio and sports as ways of helping people achieve their full potential.”

Congratulations on World Radio 2018! Thank for listening our broadcast.

That’s Commentary