Culture

Jakarta. Karanganyar, a district in Surakarta, Central Java, has become the first region in Indonesia to have formally agreed to stop the dog meat trade, making a break with tradition.  Dogs are still consumed in many parts of Indonesia as a special meal, a remnant of pre-Islamic customs in the archipelago. Islam, the religion of 86 percent of modern Indonesians, considers the meat haram. In the last decade, activists have also campaigned to end the practice, pointing out that butchers often mistreat the dogs and slay the animal in an inhumane way. Beating dogs to death is considered to produce better tasting meat than slaughter.     The Karanganyar administration, however, was more concerned about human welfare.  "In order to prevent various diseases caused by dog ​​meat, we will close all dog meat stalls in Karanganyar, effective immediately," H. Juliyatmono, the … [Read more...] about An Indonesian District Pledges to End Dog Meat Trade

Jakarta. Indonesia will host the sixth Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6 at the Rinjani-Lombok Unesco Global Geopark on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Officials from the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs visited the site on June 13-14 to check the preparation for the event, which will be coordinated by the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government. Latief Nurbana, the deputy minister for maritime innovation from the ministry, said many facilities at the site, including public toilets, still need a lot of improvement. The symposium will be attended by countries from the Asia-Pacific region, but the number of participants is not yet confirmed. The Indonesian government wants to send a strong message to foreign tourists in particular that Lombok is now safe for travel. Last year, major earthquakes hit Lombok in July and August, killing at least 440 people. More than 350,000 … [Read more...] about Lombok to Host Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium

Jakarta. Former first lady Kristiani Herrawati, better known as Ani Yudhoyono, who passed away last week after a long battle with cancer, was famous for her love of Indonesian textiles, especially batik.  Before her death, Ani had prepared a batik to be worn by the Yudhoyono family on Idul Fitri. The motif was called Sawunggaling, one usually reserved for special occasions.  Ani's Sawunggaling batik was in the end used to cover her body after her death. Covering a dead person's body with batik is common in Indonesia.  Her husband, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY, and his two sons, Agus Harimurti and Edhie Baskoro, all wore the same Sawunggaling batik when they visited Ani's grave on Idul Fitri on Wednesday.  Agus's wife Annisa posted a photo of the family wearing the batik on Instagram, comparing it to another family photo from last year when Ani was still alive.     New Motif Sawunggaling is a … [Read more...] about Sawunggaling, Ani Yudhoyono’s Favorite and Last Batik

Jakarta. The Bali Arts Festival, the holiday island's biggest cultural event, is set to take place between June 15 and July 13. The 41st iteration of the annual festival, which will be hosted by the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Center in Denpasar and several other venues, will feature performances and attractions by participating countries and a parade, scheduled to be opened by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. About 4,000 people are expected to participate in the parade, which will start at the Perjuangan Rakyat Bali Monument in Denpasar on Saturday. The United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Russia and Singapore have confirmed their participation and sent cultural ambassadors to the event. Guo Haodong, China's consul general in Denpasar, said his country will be represented by a cultural group from Kunming in Yunnan Province. He said Yunnan and Bali used to be "sister provinces." "The group will perform songs, dances and play musical instruments from … [Read more...] about Bali Arts Festival to Kick Off on Saturday

Jakarta. The draw for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup main qualifiers was held in Bengaluru, India, on Saturday. A total of 24 countries will battle it out in the qualification stage for Asia's biggest basketball tournament. This was the first time the Asia Cup will use a new qualification format, a home and away system that has been agreed upon by FIBA ​​member countries.  Erick Thohir, the head of the Jakarta Asian Games organizing committee last year, and now a member of the FIBA Central Board and an IOC member candidate, said Indonesia will be in group A with the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea, teams with plenty of regional and Asian successes. The home and away system will give a chance for Indonesian supporters to cheer their team on home grounds. Indonesia will play at home three times: this year between Nov. 25 and Dec. 3, and next year between Feb. 17 and Feb 25 and between Nov. 20 … [Read more...] about Jakarta to Host FIBA Asia Cup Qualification Matches