If Korea has taekwondo and Japan has karate, Indonesia has pencak silat. This martial art has been officially recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural World Heritage since 13 December 2019. As a culture that grew from the Nusantara Archipelago, the many versions and forms of pencak silat can also be found in neighbouring countries such

Indonesia is known for its vibrant markets which boast a rich variety of fruits, or ‘buah’. From luscious mangosteens to spiky durian, fruits play an important part in Indonesian cuisine. While Indonesians have cherished these delights for centuries, it was the first European explorers and botanists who introduced these exotic fruits to the rest of

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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