The greatest form of diplomacy is personal friendship leading to peace and cooperation between nations. This was stated by the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, at the opening ceremony of the Indonesian Art and Cultural Scholarship Program for 2010 at the Pancasila Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs this afternoon (26/07).
As explained at the press conference by the Directorate for Public Diplomacy, BSBI is a regular program that the Ministry has been holding since 2003. The program is aimed to optimize people to people contact through art and culture. In the upcoming future, the program is hoped to bring positive impact by pushing forward cooperation in various fields.
For Minister Natalegawa, the BSBI program carries an important mission since diplomacy is not the territory of diplomats only, but it is also built through activities between communities from different nations.
The Minister also shared three facts about Indonesia as food for thought for the BSBI grantees during their stay in Indonesia.
Firstly, Indonesia is one solid nation despite its cultural diversity.
Many thought that Indonesia might easily disintegrate due to the various cultures, ethnicities, and religions. Instead, those differences have managed to dialog with one another and found its shared history, thus supporting the nation to move forward.
“Indonesia is not a melting pot where an individual loses his/her identity, but it is a cultural mosaic, assembled out of different pieces, and each represents its own uniqueness which derives from its culture, ethnicity, language, and beliefs,” said Minister Natalegawa.
Secondly, Indonesia is where tradition and modernity meet.
In Indonesia, tradition and modernity cross paths only to support one another, creating a uniqueness that becomes the nation’s character. In one side, Indonesia consists of people rich with tradition, religion and culture; meanwhile, the Indonesian society is also a modern society that keeps on developing.
Thirdly, the Indonesian people are a dynamic and democratic community.
Ten years ago, the international world saw Indonesia as a politically and socially vulnerable country which was hit by economic crisis. However, Indonesia has withered the crises and risen from the abyss. “I dare challenge anyone in this room to name any other country that can accomplish that far only in 10-year time,” said Minister Natalegawa.
At the moment, Indonesia is the biggest democratic country and a home for the biggest Muslim society. The country is live evidence that Islam, democracy, and modernity do not only coexist, but also support each other.
To conclude his speech, the Minister for Foreign Affairs reminded the BSBI grantees to make the best use of this opportunity to get to know and study Indonesian art and culture.
The Minister also hoped that the program can be a start for the grantees to build good relation with Indonesia. “Many alumni from this program have been Indonesia’s closest friends,” said the Minister.
Earlier that day, at the beginning of the opening ceremony for the BSBI program, the Director of the Directorate of Public Diplomacy, Ms. Kusuma Nursiawati explained the background and latest development of the program. Year 2010 is the program’s eighth year, and not less that 64 grantees from 33 countries are scheduled to participate.
Fifty two participants from 29 countries, namely Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, China, Japan, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Laos PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa, Austria, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, India, United Kingdom, Germany, France (New Caledonia), Russia, and Suriname, will join the BSBI program.
Meanwhile, the rest of the participants, 12 participants from US, France, Italy and Spain, are painters who are joining the BSBI program specifically for painters. The works of these painters will be exhibited at cultural centers in Padang Panjang, Yogyakarta, and Bali.
For some countries like Italy, France, France (New Caledonia), Germany, Russia, Spain, and Suriname, this is their first time to join the program. (Source: Directorate for Information and Media/HO)