Awards, Festivities, Movies & Sepak Bola! Victories in People-to-People Relations

English essay competition first place recipient Falecia Naoenz
with Bapak Mangadar, Rektor of UNPAR (right),
and Indonesia Institute director Colin Singer at the Australian Embassy, Jakarta

It has certainly felt like an amazing couple of weeks of people-to-people connection in Perth the past couple of weeks.  Australians and Indonesians alike have been working together (although we could hardly call it working because indeed it was a great deal of fun) sharing culture, language, art and building friendships. There is much congratulating to do!

Let's start with the winners of the Indonesia Institute's annual English language essay competition who were recently presented their awards at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The competition is run in association with Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (UNPAR) in Badung, West Java and The Strategic Review.  Entrants were to write an essay in English that is dynamic, authoritative, and lively on any topic relating to Indonesia-Australia relations.  The competition was open to Indonesian nationals attending UNPAR aged 18 to 35 years.  First prize for this competition was Rp. 5,000,000 and publication in the print version of The Strategic Review and this year was won by Falecia Naoenz.  Second place went to Iman Assovie, and Alifia Fardian Azzahra and Anthony Christianto tied for third.  Congratulations to all of our winners and entrants who submitted essays.

English essay competition third place recipient Anthony Christianto

The inaugural KREASI Festival was held at Curtin University on Sunday August 30, the largest event promoting Indonesian culture and arts in Western Australia.  The event put together by the Indonesian student associations here in Perth was hugely successful drawing a crowd of 5,000 and receiving international media attention. We send our congratulations and thanks to Lay Keke Marthina Marentek and her organising team, we're already looking forward to next year.  If you missed it you can read about it here.

KREASI Festival 2015
Photo Source: ABC Radio Australia

The KREASI event was followed up by Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth’s Indonesian Film Festival (September 3 – 6)  where the stars came out all the way from Indonesia to share their movies, insights and bubbly personalities with the people of Perth.  Congratulations to Karen Bailey and her team for this extraordinary event.

My personal highlight from the Perth Indonesian Film Festival was chatting with ten year old child-star Fatih Unru on the opening night.  Not only is he an actor in films but also Indonesia’s youngest stand-up comedian, giving a performance of his comedy routine with finesse in English on the night!  What a talented young man.  Of most importance in my discussion with Fatih was the topic of sepak bola (or soccer for us Aussies).  You see, just as it is necessary to have a team and speak the language of Aussie Rules Football in the city of Melbourne, Australia, I understand it is also the case that I should support a team and speak the language of sepak bola in Indonesia.  I asked Fatih ‘Which team should I follow?  Which team is the best?’  ‘My team,’ he responded.  After a bit of an internal giggle, and agreeing with Fatih that his team surely is the best he said that the international team I should follow is Barcelona.  So from this moment on, I am a one-eyed Barcelona Football Club supporter!  Thanks Fatih.

We also make note and congratulate ACICIS on it’s 20^th anniversary and celebrations in Yogyakarta, what a remarkable achievement in Australia-Indonesia relations. May the results and continued success of their programs be long lived.

Stop!  Save the date!  

Tuesday, 13th of October, 2015

Professor Tim Lindsey will be speaking at a breakfast function in Perth presented by the Indonesia Institute in association with the AIBC WA.

Tim Lindsey is Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and founding Director of the Centre for Islamic Law and Society at the University of Melbourne. From 2006 to 2011 he held a Federation Fellowship, researching Indonesia. He is also chair of the Australia-Indonesia Institute, an advisory board within the DFAT. Tim’s publications number more than 100 and include Indonesia: Law and Society; Corruption in Asia: Rethinking the Governance Paradigm; and Law Reform in Developing and Transitional States. In 2012, he published a three volume series Islam, Law and the State in Southeast Asia (I: Indonesia, II: Singapore; III: Malaysia and Brunei), and The Indonesian Constitution: A Contextual Analysis. Tim is also a founding editor of The Australian Journal of Asian Law. He works regularly with Indonesian and Australian government agencies and is a practicing lawyer.

This will be a truly once-only opportunity to hear Australia's foremost expert on Indonesia-Australia relations.

The function will be limited to only 80 guests to provide opportunities for questions and an exchange of views given the 'bumps' in the bi-lateral relationship over recent times.

More details to come, but in the meantime.... Save the date!

In this edition of our blog you’ll find a collection recent articles of happenings and commentary in the Aus-Indo arena, a review of a book you may be interested in reading, the continuation of Francis Palmos’ ‘Conversations in Indonesia’ series, a discussion about  Australian scholarships for Indonesians, a few photographs to peruse and a little something worth learning for settling disputes when in Indonesia.

If you'd like to contribute to the discussion on all things Indonesia-Australia, please comment or send in your submission for consideration for publication.  

Enjoy.

Sampai kali depan,

Ed.

Book Review

Archipelago - A Journey Across Indonesia, by Ian Burnet.  A 'spellbinding experience that takes the reader on a journey through both the landscape of Indonesia and also back through Indonesia's past' reviewed by Ron Witton.

Short Anecdotal Story

Conversations During Ramadan, by Francis Palmos.  Frank shares a beautiful tale from his time of  immersion in Indonesia in 1962 at Ramadan. 

Podcast

Talking Indonesia: Australian Scholarships (25mins). Dave McRae (in his series Talking Indonesia) talks with Dr Jemma Purdey about history, development and role of Australian Scholarships for Indonesia.  Great listening! (September, 2015). 

News Articles and Opinion

Indonesia Waiving Australian Visas Welcomed via The Australian quoting Indonesia Institute Ross Taylor (September, 2015).

Tony Abbott declares Australia-Indonesia Ties are on the Mend, by John Kerin via The Australian Financial Review (September, 2015).

Indonesia: Going Nowhere Fast, by John Beth via The Strategist.  Indonesia 'welcomes with one hand and arrests with the other....' (September, 2015).

AIYA Q&A: The Role of the Media in Australia-Indonesia Relations, by Marlene Millett (September, 2015).  A great summary of the recent thoughtful panel discussion organised by the Australian-Indonesia Youth Association of Victoria.  Great job guys!

Renovation Rescues and Unrequited Love. "Australia needs to stop feeding Jakarta's sense of self-importance," says James Giggacher via New Mandela (August, 2015).

Gerakan Sekolah Menyenangkan (Fun School Movement) Looks to Emulate Australia's Fun Schools in Indonesia, by Muhammad Nur Rizal and Novi Poespita Candra via The Conversation (September, 2015).

In Pictures and Film

Jakarta's Day of Destruction, by Ray Yen.  A photo-essay of the demolition at Kampung Pulo, Jakarta via New Mandela (August, 2015).

Independence Day Celebrations, Ancol Beach, Jakarta.  Indonesian men in teams of four try to climb a greasy pole to retrieve prizes, looks fun or maybe a little bit scary?

Independence Day Celebrations, Bima, Sumbawa Island.  Despite being illegal, child-jockeys were still used in the traditional sport of horse racing for the celebrations, here is a short video from a year ago that tells a bit more of a story.

Ok, and a little something just for fun..

Can't settle that dispute or who goes first?  You can always Paper, Scissors, Rock it... Indonesian style! #Pingsut #Suit Semut, Orang, Gajah!  Click here to find out how!