REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Dozens young people from all over the world, gathered on Tuesday to attend the opening of the 10th fellowship Indonesian art and culture program (BSBI) on Tuesday, April 03. They come from 50 countries and will stay in Indonesia for three months.

“This program aims to widen Indonesianists across the globe,” the Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fachrir, said on Tuesday. Indonesianist is a person who know and understand Indonesia so that they can introduce Indonesia to their origin countries. The easiest way to introduce Indonesia, he said, was direct interaction here.

The program presents Indonesian excellence, such as its culture, lifestyle, tradition, tolerance, and democracy. The focus will be on art and culture. The participants can choose one among five cities, namely: Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bali, Surabaya, and Makassar. By the end of the program, all participants will gather in Solo to present a performance called Indonesian Channel. 

“The unique part is they lived separately but they must perform together,” Fachrir said.

After attending the program, the alumni will always be contacted by Indonesian Embassy in each country. They are also expected to introduce Indonesia in their country.

A participant from South Africa, Chisamiso Samantha, said that she loved Indonesia because its diversity. “Indonesia has so many languages, so does South Africa,” Samantha said. When she first arrived in Indonesia, she was shocked that Jakarta was similar to her place. “The difference is Jakarta has bigger population,” she said.

Samantha is also interested in learning Indonesian dance. “I love dancing,” she said. But she still could not decide on which city that she would choose among the five cities. She knows the program for the local newspaper in her country. The drama teacher plans to teach what she learns in Indonesia to her students. 

Another participant, Stuart Cook, from United Kingdom, was interested in Indonesia since he listened to Indonesian music. “I want to learn how to play gamelan,” Stuart named a traditional musical instrument from Indonesia.

Though, he admitted that he did not know much about Indonesia. His lecture was introduced him to the program, then he applied to get the fellowship. Stuart is curious about Bali. “Maybe I will choose Bali. People said that it was beautiful,” he said. 

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