Merah Putih, the Indonesian Club which is forever full of honour and Indonesian Pride, held a three-day event to celebrate the 2012 Indonesian Independence Day at the Limkokwing University plaza. Merah Putih was established in 2003 by Dipa Sitepu, with an aim of creating a platform from which to showcase the spectrum of Indonesian Heritage. “Imaginesia”, derived from “Imagine Indonesia”, the event through visual arts put forward a call for Indonesian students to dream a better home, imagine a better country and share their talents and skills with their international counterparts.
The event opened up with the exhibition of Indonesian student work which did not only plan to unveil their photography, fine art, videos and Indonesian traditional costumes but was also designed to engage, inspire and communicate with other diverse student cultures and visitors from all over the world. The Plaza was transformed into a gallery showcasing of video art inclusive of interesting digital animation by emerging artists from the university’s Indonesian students.
The University’s globalised scholars managed to pick up a number of facts about the Indonesian culture and heritage throughout the three days of art gallery. Given the broad diversity of ethnic groups in Indonesia, the gallery managed to share with us the different variations of Indonesian traditional costumes showing how the they are still important in Indonesia despite the evolution of style. Distinctive paintings with alluring details captivated the attention of passersby. The paintings comprised of a story telling collection which somewhat spread a message through its apparent simplicity.
On the final day of the show the Merah Putih team managed to keep the plaza energetic by playing games with their colleagues such as tug of war. For some students it was a way of relaxation after a long day of lessons and they found the best way to do that through fun and games during the exhibition. More fun was experienced through music and contemporary dance which was a reflection of the country’s diversity of ethnicities and cultures. Indonesian contemporary dance borrows influences from abroad, such as western ballet and modern dance.
A northwest Indonesian traditional dance called the Saman, the dance of thousand hands, was enthusiastically performed by the clubs ‘dance group Gema. This dance is done by a group in one line while kneeling and is normally performed to celebrate important occasions. Another traditional Jai Pong dance was performed by Dina from Multimedia University. Musical performances from talented singers celebrated the local Indonesian musical creativity, as well as depicting how foreign musical influences have shaped the present music scenes of Indonesia. Shirley perfomed the rendition of Adele’s Someone Like You song and wowed the crowd with her powerful vocals.
As a norm within the Indonesian traditional custom, whenever there is a ceremony or gathering the incorporation of food and feast is always required through their sharing of various traditional cuisine. Indonesian delicacy from Satay to Pisang Goreng was served at the exhibition food bazaar in the Plaza. Imaginesia proved to be the highlight of the plaza during the three days of exhibition. “The event was successful because a lot of people had fun. Although we presented it late, way after our independence, I think it went on quite well and smoothly,” indicated the club’s Public Relations Coordinator Angraha Putra.
The President of the club Antonia Timmerman is pleased with the outcome of the event, “We haven’t had a proper exhibition like this in the last 5 years since 2007, when we showcased our 1945 independence photography. We feel proud of Imaginesia.” Antonia went on to express her pride and honour of being able to represent Indonesian students and standing up for them through events like these. She said that there is more to expect from Merah Putih in the campus and is inviting everyone to join their Fustal Cup which is held annually in Taman Tasik.
The event not only focused on a group of proud Indonesian students celebrating their independence but also focused on artistic continuity, innovation’s links and adaptation to all over the world. Limkokwing University has two campuses in Indonesia based in Jakarta and Bali. In these campuses students engage in a learning experience that allows them to soak up experiences that strengthen their global knowledge and improve their cultural insights.
