Opini

By Iswara N. Raditya After sailing Mempawah River for about an hour, we finally got to Sebukit Rama where Opu Daeng Menambun was laid to rest. The three of our boats were pulling over slowly and from distance there were seen a crowd of people waiting for us at the bank of the river. Apparently, the pilgrimage to the grave of Opu Daeng ...

By Joseph Chinyong Liow To the casual observer, recent spats between Indonesia and Malaysia may seem perplexing. After all, we are talking about two peoples who share a similar language, culture, and religion. Of course, there is sound historical basis to this view. The Malay hikayat (saga) provides insights into the ...

By Nick Long Rizal is not the average Indonesian teenager. While most of his friends spend their spare time chatting by the seaside, watching TV or listening to music, Rizal has a very different hobby. It’s one that has made him famous in his home town of Tanjung Pinang - the capital of Riau Islands province. Whenever he has an ...

By Franki Raden Before I left Indonesia to finish my degree abroad 13 years ago, I met an artist from Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, during the Nur Gora Rupa art festival in Surakarta, Central Java. He invited me to his hometown. I didn’t go simply because the place existed beyond my imagination. More than a decade ago, ...

By Luc Citrinot Padang, Indonesia - It has now been 15 months that West Sumatra (Indonesia) was struck by a powerful earthquake, which officially killed over 1,100 people and damaged some 200,000 houses mostly in the Padang and Pariaman districts. Hospitals, schools, and livelihoods were all affected by the disaster. The Indonesian ...

By Jennifer Jett Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, a world-renowned American collector and curator, traces her interest in textiles back to a childhood discovery: a hatbox full of ribbons collected by women in her family, starting from her great-great-grandmother, that she found in the attic of her house. “I became very fascinated and loved to ...

By Jean Couteau In the Indonesian cultural world, there are (too) few things to remind us the country is not simply an Asian country, but also one in the Pacific. Indeed, even though Indonesia shares common cultural ground with states in the Pacific, and even though Eastern Indonesia is doubtless closer — ethnically and ...

By Lisa Siregar Over the years the kebaya, a traditional blouse, has been the attire of choice for Indonesian women. The opening show of Jakarta Fashion Week revealed how top designers met the challenge of creating stylish, modern kebayas that still honored the long cultural history of this classic Indonesian garment. The term kebaya ...

By Darul Aqsha The Malay literary world has lost one of its reputable figures. Prof Dr Mohammed Amin Sweeney, an expert in Malay literature, passed away on November 13 at his home in Cibeureum, near Cipayung, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, at 72. He is survived by a wife, a son, two daughters and four grandchildren. His passing ...

By Cheryl Poo At the crack of dawn, some 17 young women take their place behind wooden looms in a little workshop in the south of Kuching to weave some of the finest songket in the world. Camaraderie and music accompany intent eyes and nimble fingers as these girls work diligently through the day. This is the Sarawak arm of Royal ...

By Jessica Tiah Many countries sought for their national traditions to be officially recognised by Unesco as part of the world`s heritage an exclusive listing of cultural treasures to be safeguarded and preserved for future generations to come. In order for these traditions to remain alive, they must be relevant to its community and ...

By Sylviana Hamdani While young people can sing the praises of contemporary Indonesian authors such as Dewi Lestari and Djenar Maesa Ayu, it is unfortunate that many of them have never heard of Amir Hamzah, one of the most influential figures in the country’s literary history. That, however, may change this year. In order to ...