Wahyu Dwi Anggoro
IDXChannel - The Indonesian Embassy in the Hague held the Eastern Indonesia Festival at De Broodfabriek, Rijswijk, the Netherlands on 2 December.
"The purpose of the East Indonesia Festival is to provide a place for our brothers and sisters from the East Indonesia diaspora community to meet each other, stay in touch, share and also showcase their traditions and potential, be it traditional arts, food, and cultural values. Those who live throughout various regions in the Netherlands can gather together, reunite, and more importantly preserve culture and traditions among the younger generation," said the Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mayerfas, in a media release.
Diasporas from Eastern Indonesian communities, such as Maluku, Manado, Nusa Tenggara and Papua are the largest Indonesian diaspora groups in the Netherlands.
However, so far the exposure has not been optimised, particularly in terms of social, cultural, economic, including culinary and creative industries.
For this reason, this year the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague specifically organised a festival that was intended not only for promotion but also as a platform for communication and collaboration for the Eastern Indonesian community.
The East Indonesia Festival 2023 featured a variety of art performances and a bazaar of food, beverages, and MSME products.
The festival was packed with a series of exciting performances. The Badansa and Badendang stage was alive with entertainment, including: traditional dances of the Tanimbar Islands by the Lima Diti group, various dances from Maluku by Maropi Perowano and the Bina Budaya Moar - Holland Group, Sasando music by Amor Frans and Maureen Dumais, tifa music by the Tifa Bunji Culturegroup, a traditional fashion show of Malacca, Belu, Manggarai, Maumere, and Nagekeo designs by Bintang Timur. In addition, visitors also packed the area in front of the stage and danced to songs performed by bands such as Black Brothers and The Tuning, as well as well-known artists Roy Tuhumury and Yosina Roemajauw. The line-up of more than 100 performers were all members of the East Indonesian diaspora.
"The Indonesian diaspora in the Netherlands is the largest abroad, especially from Eastern Indonesia. This is an asset that we must optimise, promote and develop as a strength of the nation. Their active involvement is important in supporting the promotion and strengthening Indonesia's positive image," said Ambassador Mayerfas.
