The long-awaited event from the Indonesian Student Association Newcastle (PPI Newcastle), Discover Indonesia, consisting of a two-day cultural bazaar and a performance night, was back and held for three days last week.
The event was first established back in 2014, and this year marks the third time Discover Indonesia was held in Newcastle. The event itself serves as a platform for Indonesian students studying abroad to take responsibility for their nation and participate in introducing as well as preserving our nation’s rich traditions to an international audience. The event generated great responses from both the local and international community, as seen in their enthusiasm in participating in our two-day cultural bazaar, despite the horrible weather.
The two-day cultural bazaar was held from Wednesday 27th April to Thursday 28th April 2016. Located in the The Forum, Newcastle University, the bazaar offered a wide selection of Indonesian traditional food and beverages whilst enjoying different traditional music and dances.
On the first day, the event commemorated the birth of Raden Ajeng Kartini, an Indonesian national hero who fought for women’s rights for education during Dutch Colonialism era in Indonesia. On Thursday, Discover Indonesia 2016 provided the opportunity for visitors to learn Bahasa Indonesia, where it became a huge attraction for visitors. Our committee staff also had a stall, which offers free advice on what prospective tourists may wish to do when planning a trip to Indonesia.
As the highlight of our event, a performance night, entitled A Spice of Indonesian Folklore: Malin Kundang was performed. With a different concept to last year, a silent drama was brought to showcase one of Indonesia’s most popular folklore. Audiences were taken through a journey exploring the archipelago through music and dances. It was a long process in preparing for the show and the commitment put in by all the cast members are definitely worthed to be applauded. Andreas Haliman and Sisilia Tandri, performing as Malin and his wife, respectively, said that juggling between university assignments and preparing for the show was definitely a challenge. But their hard work and commitment paid off, as audience was left in amazement by the show.
Overall, Discover Indonesia 2016 was a huge success. Despite the horrible weather last week, the Bazaar was a great success and exceeded the targeted number of people coming to the event. Our performance night, A Spice of Indonesian Folklore: Malin Kundang, was also another success. 300 people came and enjoyed the show. Nothing but great responses, we got from the visitors.
Thanks are due to all the Discover Indonesia 2016 Committee members, performers, and sponsors, particularly Newcastle University Business School who help make this event possible from year to year. For all our visitors, thank you for your support and we hope to see you again next year!