Category: Lifestyle

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul confirmed on Sunday that two Indonesian citizens survived the Halloween crowd surge on Saturday evening but should be admitted to local hospitals for medical treatment.

The two Indonesians, only identified by their initials AR and CA, however, had been discharged from the hospitals after receiving the medical treatment, the embassy said in a statement on Sunday.

“AR has been discharged from Korea University’s Anam Hospital on Sunday morning while CA who sustained a minor injury had left Seobuk Hospital, and returned home on Saturday evening,” the embassy said.

The embassy further confirmed that none of Indonesians was among at least 151 people who got killed in the Halloween crowd surge that occurred in Seoul’s popular nightclub district of Itaewon on Saturday evening.

The embassy, however, continued to coordinate with local authorities to obtain latest information on the victims.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the “sudden surge of Halloween crowds that instantly packed a narrow 4-meter-wide downhill alley in Itaewon District” killed at least 151 people and wounded 82 others.

Among the victims were 19 foreigners, including those from China, Iran, Norway and Uzbekistan, Yonhap said.

The Iranian Embassy in Seoul had confirmed the deaths of four Iranians in the Itaewon stampede, according to CNN.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol responded to the stampede that Yonhap recorded as the deadliest accident in South Korea since the sinking of the ferry Sewol in 2014 that killed 304 high-school students and others.

As reported by the Korea Times, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning from Sunday until Saturday in response to the Halloween crush that he said “truly tragic”.

President Yoon Suk-yeol said the “tragedy and disaster should never have happened.”

“As president, who is responsible for the people’s lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief,” he was quoted by the Korea Times as saying in a statement on Sunday.

 

Source: Antara News

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Thursday denounced the Myanmar military junta’s air strike targeting an outdoor music concert in the country’s northern state of Kachin on Sunday night, which claimed dozens of lives.

Marsudi lodged her criticism during the meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Jakarta, which specifically discussed the Myanmar crisis.

“The Myanmar military junta’s air strike during a music concert in Kachin must be denounced and is unacceptable,” she said after the meeting.

While expressing concern over the mounting violence in Myanmar following the military coup in February last year, Indonesia urged the military junta to put an immediate end to all forms of violence, which has claimed many lives.

“Once again the violent acts must be stopped soon. Indonesia wants this message to reach the Tatmadaw soon,” she said referring to the Myanmar armed forces.

The air strike killed at least 50 people, including singers and officials of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

KIA has been fighting for wide-ranging autonomy for Kachin residents for six decades.

The group has voiced opposition to the rule of the military, which ousted the democratically elected civil government led by Noble laureate Aung San Suu Kyi last year.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta The Poland Festival 2022 is being held in four provinces of Indonesia, namely Jakarta, West Java (Bandung), East Java (Surabaya), and Bali (Sanur), from October 17 to November 4.

 

“This year’s Poland Festival is already the third edition. We (held it) first here in 2019, then last year in 2021, and now 2022,” the Ambassador of Poland to Indonesia, Beata Stoczyńska, said at the festival here on Saturday.

 

The festival is being hosted by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency as the main organizer, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Jakarta.

 

The festival is promoting 18 FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands from Poland available at 10 supermarkets in Indonesia.

 

According to Stoczyńska, the products promoted through the festival are mainly food and cosmetic products.

 

“Those products are already (available) in (several) Indonesian supermarkets,” she noted.

 

During Saturday’s event, visitors also participated in a Polish language flash course and tasted Polish foods.

 

On the same occasion, head of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Jakarta, Jacek Kołomyjec, said that there are three goals that the festival aims to achieve. The first is bringing diverse, high-quality Polish products to Indonesian consumers, he informed.

 

Second, the festival aims to provide an opportunity to Indonesian importers and distributors to do some good business by bringing Polish products to the market, he said.

 

“Our third goal is to bring Indonesia closer to Polish producers so they can consider investing in Indonesia,” Kołomyjec added.

 

Aside from Polish food and cosmetic products, this year’s festival is also promoting the railway, tourism, and culture sectors.

 

As part of the festival, a Polish Contemporary Textile Art and Batik Exhibition was launched at the Indonesian National Museum, Jakarta, on October 3. The exhibition will remain open throughout October.

 

Source: Antara News

Malang, East Java The National Food Agency (NFA) stated that the commemoration of World Food Day was expected to be a momentum to build and improve the national food sector.

 

NFA Head Arief Prasetyo Adi stated in Malang City, East Java, on Saturday, that one of the efforts to improve the food sector in the country was pursued through the National Food Event (GPN) that introduced the food potential of the country.

 

“Through this activity, we want to make World Food Day a momentum to recharge our spirit in building and strengthening the national food (sector),” he remarked.

 

Adu stated that at the National Food Event, they had conducted a series of educational activities and competitions that encouraged creativity that brought messages and campaigns about strengthening the national food sector.

 

According to Adu, several campaigns included the initiative to consume a delicious, healthy, diverse, balanced, and safe diet that was reflected through the composition of food items on the plate.

 

“This composition aims to meet the standard of the expected food pattern and the standard of energy adequacy rate,” he noted.

 

In addition, he conducted a campaign to reduce food waste and initiate the movement to eat eggs daily to improve the people’s nutrition, including to reduce the prevalence of stunting.

 

He expected that the commemoration of World Food Day, which is commemorated every October 16, would serve as a platform to build public awareness of the existing issues, given that the world is currently in the midst of a risk of a food crisis.

 

“Despite Indonesia being far from being considered about the food crisis criteria due to our sufficient food stocks, we still have to be cautious,” he remarked.

 

People can contribute to helping reduce the potential for food crises by adopting healthy consumption patterns, reducing food waste, and consuming nutrient-rich local foods, such as eggs.

 

On the occasion, they also signed a collaboration agreement with Brawijaya University, Malang, on Education, Research, and Community Service in the food sector.

 

“Collaboration in the food sector on the occasion of World Food Day is in accordance with the direction of President Joko Widodo, who is committed to dealing with food problems,” he noted.

 

The National Food Event will be held on October 22-23, 2022, with some activities, including the Food Expo that provides various food commodities at low prices and the Food and Nutrition Symposium, including business matching.

 

Source: Antara News

We owe a lot to the (use of) pegon script

Jakarta Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has recommended that the pegon script—the modified Arabic script used in the Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese languages—be standardized and digitized so that it can be preserved.

 

“We owe a lot to the (use of) pegon script. Maybe we would not be able to embrace Islam in the (Indonesian) archipelago if there was no pegon script as the medium for its (Islam’s) dissemination,” he remarked at the opening of the “Pegon Script Congress” here on Friday.

 

The script is considered very important, especially since a number of historical records on the spread of Islam in Indonesia are written in it.

 

For instance, the literary works (locally called suluk) of Sunan Bonang—one of the nine notable Islamic experts who played a great role in spreading the religion in Indonesia—were written in the pegon script, the minister noted.

 

Other examples of works on Islamic studies in the pegon script are Kitab Al-Ibriz and Al-Tarjamah Al-Munbalajah.

 

The books were written by Kyai Haji (KH) Bisri Mustofa and KH Sahal Mahfudz, respectively, Qoumas said.

 

“Many books, which were useful for (building) Islamic civilization (in Indonesia), were written in the pegon script,” he added.

 

The pegon script was also used for correspondence, he noted.

 

“Prior, the kings (in various regions of Indonesia) used the pegon script to communicate with other kings, thus the colonizers could not read (the letters). Thus, the pegon script became a very (important) tactic to trick the colonizers,” he said.

 

The script was also used to write the Kitab Mujarobat, a book containing various du’a, he added.

 

“I expect that it (the congress) will not only standardize (the pegon script), but this congress will also initiate the digitalization of the pegon script,” he said.

 

The script needs to be digitalized so that it can be preserved as the cultural wealth of the country, he explained.

 

The “Pegon Script Congress” was initiated by the Religious Affairs Ministry as a part of the 2022 Santri (Islamic boarding school students) Day commemoration, which is observed every October 22.

 

Source: Antara News

Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad has designated Bukit Kerang (Kjokkenmoddinger) and Rumah Melayu (the Malay House) in Bintan as cultural heritage sites that need to be protected.

“The Bukit Kerang site and the Malay House have a long history of more than a century old, which will definitely attract domestic and international tourists,” acting head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Luki Zaiman Prawira, said here on Wednesday.

Through a gubernatorial decree following a district head’s decree in 2017, the Bukit Kerang site and Rumah Melayu were designated as cultural heritages on September 2, 2022, head of the Bintan Tourism Office, Arif Sumarsono, informed.

“The Bukit Kerang and Rumah Melayu sites are not really popular outside Bintan Island, so we will promote them to attract tourists,” he said.

Bukit Kerang is located in an oil palm plantation in Kawal Darat, Gunung Kijang sub-district, five kilometers from the coastline.

Bukit Kerang is essentially a hill formed from piles of shells of mollusks that live in brackish water and muddy estuaries, which have been consumed by coastal communities in the past and even now.

Some artifacts have also been found around the site such as scavenging tools, tools crafted from clam shells, hand axes, as well as fragments of skulls.

Meanwhile, the Malay House, also known as Rumah Tua, or Old House, is located 100 meters from a Navy post in Berakit village.

The pyramid-shaped house was built by Haji Jalil and his son Haji Akob in 1908, and has been inhabited since 1911. The house is still inhabited by Ali Wardana, 40, the great-grandchild of Haji Jalil, who works as a traditional fisherman.

The house was inherited by Hanawati, Wardana’s female cousin.

“Inheritance is given to women not because of custom, but rather they are closer to their parents, while men spend more time working,” Wardana explained.

The shape of the stilt house was never changed, including the foundation made from kapor and merbau (intsia) wood.

 

Source: Antara News

The Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI) Denpasar held a roadshow and a colossal dance performance called “Cendet Ding Pituning Pitu Indonesia Raya Sujud Ibu” at Tegowangi Temple, Kediri District, East Java, on Saturday .

Kediri Deputy District Head Dewi Mariya Ulfa said here on Sunday, the Kediri District Government lauded the performance organized by ISI Denpasar at the Tegowangi Temple.

“The Kediri District Government widely opens for cooperation in the cultural and tourism sectors with any party, as an effort to empower local cultural arts,” Ulfa explained.

She also added that the colossal dance performance held by ISI Denpasar can also be a platform to promote tourism and all regional potentials in Kediri.

Ulfa also added that this art performance contributed to the insight and knowledge of cultural arts, especially for millennials.

“This is an event for the younger generation to show creativity. In addition, it increases insight and mastery of cultural arts, knowledge, ability, creativity, and hard work in developing cultural arts and managing talents,” the deputy district head said.

Meanwhile, ISI-Denpasar Rector I Wayan Adnyana explained that “Cendet Ding Pituning Pitu Indonesia Raya Sujud Ibu” was a new creation.

“It is a development from tradition. We call it a new creation,” Adnyana said.

According to him, “Cendet Ding Pituning Pitu Indonesia Raya Sujud Ibu” is an epic about Garudeya (Garuda) finding Tirta Amerta, the holy water that would later be used to free his mother from slavery.

This story, in the form of kakawin, or long narrative poems, was very popular back then.
In ancient Javanese society, Garudeya is a Hinduism myth that is known as a story that represents the struggle for freedom.

Adnyana explained that the colossal dance involved 148 dancers that consist of university students, lecturers, and educational staff .

 

Source:  Antara News

The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture stresses the significance of the efforts to preserve batik, the Indonesian traditional fabric, as a cultural inheritance and national wealth.

“Batik is a description of Indonesia’s journey and history, which is why it needs to be preserved,” the ministry’s official, Femmy Eka Kartika Putri, noted at a virtual interview with Antara, Thursday.

The ministry urged all citizens, especially women, to play an active role in the efforts to preserve batik in the country.

“Preserving batik is the obligation of the people, and especially Indonesian women, since most of the batik creators are women that had become a source of creativity and innovation,” she explained.

Development of the batik industry in Indonesia is currently growing rapidly as time passes and technology develops. Concurrently, women play a strategic role in developing and preserving batik, she added.

The ministry continues to strengthen cross-sectoral coordination in the efforts to preserve batik in Indonesia as well as an effort to empower women.

“The ministry, along with all related ministries and institutions, continues to undertake several empowerment programs to create quality and competitive women human resources,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, in addition to batik, the ministry encourages the preservation of kebaya as a symbol of the nation’s identity and culture, Putri stated.

“The ministry continues to encourage the preservation of kebaya clothing as Indonesia’s identity to cultivate nationalism among the people, specifically Indonesian women,” she explained.

Indonesians need to understand that kebaya is a cultural inheritance that should be preserved by wearing them on all opportunities.

“Wearing a kebaya will exude a sense of aura and beauty of Indonesian women as reflected from their behavior and attitude as civilized Indonesian women with high culture,” she remarked.

 

Source: Antara News