Belantara Budaya Indonesia: A Cultural Education
Understanding that education goes beyond academia, the organisation Belantara Budaya Indonesia focuses on the continuation of Indonesian culture, providing free traditional dance and music classes across the generations. It was started ten years ago when Diah Kusumawardani set up Belantara Budaya Indonesia (BBI). In an era of widespread technological and digital adoption, Diah was worried
A Historic Look at the Majestic Prambanan Temple in Java
Indonesia is a country rich in history and culture, with many ancient temples scattered throughout the archipelago. One of them is the majestic Prambanan temple located in Central Java, which is considered one of the most important Hindu temples in Southeast Asia. The complex is a testament to the ancient Javanese civilisation, and is a
Capturing Indonesia in the Mid-19th Century
Up until the 19th century, just before the invention of photography, the only way to show what people, landscapes and objects looked like was by painting, sketching or printing them. In the Netherlands many prints were published of their far east colonies, or nowadays, Indonesia. “De Typen van Nederlandsch Oost-Indië” (Types of the Dutch East
Ancient Javanese Indigo Batik Explored in Zahir Widadi’s New Book
Indonesia commemorates National Batik Day every 2 October after UNESCO designated batik as a Humanitarian Heritage for Oral Tradition and Intangible Culture. In order to celebrate the day, there are many activities held to reinforce batik as Indonesian culture and heritage during the month, one of them is about natural-dyed indigo batik. In October, the Indonesian Heritage
Putu Oka Sukanta Receives The UWRF 2022’s Lifetime Achievement Award
The legendary poet and writer Putu Oka Sukanta has been named the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for his incredible contribution to literature and his lifelong writing. | Photos Ubud Writers & Readers Festival The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) is here again, after two years of being held online and
Going Offline by Desi Anwar
The online life that provides many benefits is not supposed to eliminate us from our pleasure of life now and interact with the physical world. The online life that provides many benefits is not supposed to eliminate us from our pleasure of life now and interact with the physical world. It is supposed to make
Redesigning Tourist Village: Necessary or Not?
The worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 has brought the world to a standstill, and tourism has been the worst affected of all major economic sectors. Many operators and tourism industry players have started and been preparing to redesign their business when the pandemic ends. NOW!JAKARTA A tourist village or rural tourism is a way to improve the
Feminism in Indonesian History
Dewi Sartika, Lasminingrat and Emma Poeradiredja were the faces of feminism in West Java history. Photos courtesy of The Lodge Foundation/NOWJAKARTA Wanodja Soenda, a monologue about the history of women’s activisms in West Java, will help us understand how it influenced the outcome of democratisation for women in the country. The existence of Indonesian women during
Indonesian Heritage Society: 50 Years Old and Counting!
The half-century mark is an important milestone, golden for marriages, a sometimes dreaded middle-age birthday and the mark of extraordinary success for organizations, especially those that are volunteer. On 29 February 2020, the Indonesian Heritage Society (IHS) will celebrate 50 years of volunteerism in support of Jakarta’s museums. The mission has always been to assist the Museum
A Story of Melanesians, A Lamentation to Mother Nature
The debut of Garin Nugroho’s Contemporary Performance Planet – Sebuah Lament at Teater Jakarta shows the rare voice and the body of work from Melanesians, rendering an environmental awakening that resonates to the global meditation about the hope for humanity and nature. Photo by Raditya Fadilla/NOW!JAKARTA Appearing behind the plastic curtain that covers the entire stage, Septina
The Discovery of Australia Told through Maps
Map of the year 1598 showing the Dutch pioneering voyage (1595 – 1597) from Amsterdam to the Eastern Spice Islands. In the right bottom corner is Australia shown named ‘Terra Australis Incognita’. Collection: Indies Gallery Kemang. Image Courtesy of Sake Santema Despite being inhabited for up to 60,000 years, the continent of Australia was, for
Arts and the City in the Eye of Hafiz Rancajale
Hafiz Rancajale believes that arts soften our mentality and reduce chaos. Photo by Rintang Azhar/NOWJAKARTA We sat down with Indonesian artist, educator, and curator Hafiz Rancajale about his activism in urban culture. Your work has been exhibited at Singapore Biennale 2019? Can you tell me about your participation there? I exhibit Social Organism as an
Garin Nugroho’s Contemporary Performance ‘Planet – Sebuah Lament’ is a Prayer to Mother Nature
Taking place from 17 to 18 January at Teater Jakarta, Garin Nughroho’s Planet-Sebuah Lament links the cost of human greed to natural damage, presented in theatrical performance. Photo courtesy of Garin Workshop/NOW!JAKARTA After successfully seizing eight awards at Indonesia Film Festival 2019 through the movie Memories of My Body, Indonesian director Garin Nugroho will showcase