Visiting Troupe Hoping To Showcase Indonesian Culture

Doha, Qatar - A 30-member Indonesian cultural troupe consisting of musicians and traditional instrument players will tour Qatar in the third week of October.

The team will showcase Indonesian culture in Qatar, Indonesian Ambassador Rozy Munir said yesterday.

“Most of the cultural events to be staged by the team may not be familiar to the rest of the world. Our artistes would like to demonstrate the closeness and familiarity of the Indonesian culture to those of some other countries in Asia,” the envoy said.

Cultural shows staged by Indonesian artistes in the last few years has attracted good crowds at different venues in Qatar, Munir pointed out.

On the first day of the tour, most likely on October 22, the artistes will perform before a gathering of members of the country`s diplomatic corps, the ambassador said.

Next day, the team will perform at the Indonesian embassy. A show is planned on the last day at the Al Khor community.

The Al Khor community has a strong Indonesian presence and the hall there can accommodate a large gathering, Munir said. Moreover, the community has citizens from many nations, he said.

The ambassador added that the embassy plans to hold such cultural shows at regular intervals in future. “Such shows could help the people understand the Indonesian cultural traditions better if hosted at intervals,” the envoy felt.

The ambassador pointed out that Indonesia`s trade relations with Qatar has been growing at a phenomenal pace and “there has been considerable improvement in exports to this country in the past few years.”

Though only a little more than 450 Qatar residents had applied for visit visas at the embassy, several other nationalities living here had visited Indonesia in 2008, availing of the “on arrival” visa facility, an official said. These included a large number of GCC nationals, in particular Qataris.

The official explained that at least 65 nationalities can get visa “on arrival” in Indonesia. “However, not many people are aware of this,” he added.

Many Indian and other Asian nationals residing in Qatar visited Indonesia this year making use of their “visa on arrival” status. While expecting a surge in the number of Qatar residents visiting Indonesia in the coming years, the mission spokesman said there is an increasing interest among locals about Indonesia and its cultural traditions. Ramesh Mathew

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com

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