Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad
INDONESIAN culture came alive at Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) when the Festival Indonesia Penang 2015 was held on Oct 16.
Jointly organised by the Consulate-General of the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian Students Association of USM, the festival provided the perfect platform and opportunity to showcase Indonesian music, dance, cultural performances and also what most Malaysians are familiar with – batik.
Among the programmes which had the guests thoroughly captivated were a fashion show depicting an assortment of Indonesian traditional clothes whose models comprised the USM students themselves and a traditional dance performance staged by students of the Kuala Lumpur Indonesian School.
But the most memorable experience which all the guests had was their chance to play with the angklung, a bamboo musical instrument that proved most soothing to the ears.
Among the guests at the event were Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Penang exco member for Tourism Development and Culture Danny Law, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Herman Prayitno, Indonesian consul-general Taufiq Rodhy, USM pro-chancellor Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur and USM deputy vice-chancellor of the Division of Industry and Community Network Datuk Dr See Ching Mey.
Rashid, in his speech as guest of honour for the event, voiced his confidence that the good relationship between the Penang state government and the Indonesian government would only serve to develop further a number of key areas in which the welfare of both nations depend on.
“The success of today’s Festival Indonesia Penang is testimony of the close bilateral ties between Indonesia and Malaysia specifically the state of Penang. It is undeniable that the key areas of trade, tourism, investment and education between our two nations are set for further growth in time to come with the continued close rapport that we now enjoy,” Rashid said.
“This festival showcases a mere small part of what the whole Indonesian culture embodies. Despite this, I have to admit what we all see today plays no small part in shedding light on the magnetic beauty of Indonesian culture and provides everyone with a strong impulse to visit the country,” Prayitno said in his speech.
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