The Indonesian Embassy in the Hague held the Eastern Indonesia Festival on Saturday, December 2nd , 2023, at De Broodfabriek, Rijswijk, the Netherlands.
After last year’s success with the Indonesia Festival 10-11 December 2022 with more than 10,000 visitors, this year’s event has a special theme for Eastern Indonesia. This is not without reason.
Diaspora from among Eastern Indonesian communities, such as Maluku, Manado, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua, are the largest Indonesian diaspora groups in the Netherlands. However, the exposition has so far not been optimal, both in terms of social, cultural, economic, including culinary and creative industries. For this reason, the Indonesian Embassy in the Hague this year organized an event aimed at not only promoting but also serving as a communication and collaboration platform for Eastern Indonesian community groups.
“This Eastern Indonesia Festival is dedicated to provide a forum or a place for our brothers and sisters from the Eastern Indonesia diaspora community that enables them to meet each other, stay in touch, share and also show traditions and potential, be it traditional arts, culinary, and social cultural values. Living scattered in various regions in the Netherlands, here they can gather in reunion, and more importantly maintain the preservation of culture and traditions among the younger generation,” said the Indonesian Ambassador in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mayerfas.
The festival was inaugurated on the sound of tifa beat made together by the Indonesian Ambassador accompanied by a number of representatives of the Eastern Indonesia diaspora community. Also present on stage was the Deputy Mayor of Rijswijk, Armand van de Laar. He expressed his appreciation over the spirit of togetherness of the Indonesian diaspora who have always been active in promoting their culture in the Netherlands.
The 2023 Eastern Indonesia Festival presents art performances as well as bazaars for food, beverages, and various MSME products.
The event was held from 10:00 to 22:00, full of various interesting performances. The ‘Badansa dan Badendang’ stage is lively with entertainment, including: traditional dances of the Tanimbar Islands by Lima Diti group; a variety of dances from Maluku by Maropi Perowano and Sanggar Group Bina Budaya Moar – Holland; Sasando music by Amor Frans and Maureen Dumais, Tifa music by Culturegroup Tifa Bunji, traditional clothing performances of Malacca, Belu, Manggarai, Maumere, and Nagekeo by Bintang Timur.
In addition, visitors also crowded the front area of the stage and danced to songs performed by renowned bands such as Black Brothers and The Tuning, as well as well-known artists Roy Tuhumury and Yosina Roemajauw. The lineup of performers of more than 100 people are all the Eastern Indonesian diaspora in the Netherlands.
‘The Indonesian diaspora in the Netherlands is among the largest overseas. While in the Netherlands itself, diaspora groups from Eastern Indonesia has the biggest number. This is an asset that we need to optimize, promote, and continue to build as the strength of the nation. We need to involve them actively to support the promotion and strengthening of Indonesia’s positive image,” said Ambassador Mayerfas on the sidelines of his activities visiting the festival stands.
Around the stage, there is a ‘Mari Makang’ area where visitors can satisfy their longing for the taste of Eastern Indonesian food and drinks that are quite rare and not easy to find even though there are more than 420 Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands. Papeda and Pindang Ikan Kuning, Sago Sep with Papaya leaf dish, sweet potato Olso Ikan Rica or chicken RW, and red bean ice are some of the various unique and exotic dishes offered at 11 culinary stands.
On the other side, there are 14 stands that offer a variety of MSME products from snacks, spices, to traditional clothes and handicrafts in the ‘Pasar Balanja’ area. The festival is also used to provide exposition opportunities for a number of community associations including SOEs, such as Indonesia Diaspora Network Netherlands (IDN-NL), Stichting Pelita, and BNI. In addition, as a media partner, IndoMe Podcast, a Dutch-language podcast platform targeting the audience of Dutch citizens of Indonesian descent, also opened a stand and did a coverage and interviews during this event.
The persistent rain, snow and subzero temperatures did not dampen the enthusiasm of the visitors. Thousands of them amassed the Bakerij I hall of the Broodfabriek enjoying the 2023 Eastern Indonesia Festival.
