Indonesia Now - seminar

DutchCulture, together with the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is organizing Indonesia Now. This event aims to help you to gain a better perspective on contemporary Indonesia and at the same time to identify chances for cooperation, particularly in the field of culture.

The Netherlands and Indonesia share a long history, which has made for a dynamic, broad and multifaceted relationship between the two countries. Sustained interest in the shared history, heritage and culture of Indonesia and the Netherlands is increasingly accompanied by a narrative that focuses on the myriad possible opportunities for a shared future.

Ever since the Reformasi, Indonesia has been undergoing cultural, political and economical changes; Indonesia’s art and culture is booming. Indonesian films are experiencing a revival, the works of contemporary Indonesian visual artists are exhibited at renowned international galleries and a new generation of Indonesians has a growing interest in the shared history. Economically, Indonesia has developed into the world’s 16th economy, having overtaken the Netherlands. In political terms too, Indonesia’s footprint has grown, as is reflected in Indonesia’s prominent role in the G20, UN and ASEAN.

Programme
The goal of the afternoon is to inform you of the latest cultural and political developments and dynamics in present-day Indonesia; to showcase and understand the modern Republik Indonesia. The afternoon will start with a plenary session to give you new insights in contemporary political and cultural Indonesia.

For this session, we have invited the following speakers:
- Ayu Utami, Writer and Journalist based in Jakarta
- Fauzi Soelaiman, Ambassador/Alternate Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO
- Bambang Purwanto, Professor of History at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta
- David Henley, Professor of Contemporary Indonesia Studies at the Leiden University
- Mia Maria, International Curator and Artist based in Jakarta
- Prio Sambodho, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research

In addition, the plenary session will offer an platform for the kick-off of Rumah Budaya Indonesia in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has been selected as one of the first ten countries to house an Indonesia cultural centre.

Parallel Sessions
To give you the opportunity for more in-depth conversation and to learning from more experienced Indonesia-goers, we are organising two rounds of parallel sessions. This includes sessions on collaboration between the Dutch and Indonesian experts and artists in de field of contemporary culture and heritage. In addition, there are also organisation sessions to help you with practical issues and challenges but also to give you a better insight in the political environment of Indonesia.

The special feature of the day is a speech contest organised by the Indonesia Nederland Youth Society (INYS). Eight young Indonesians and Dutch professionals will take up the challenge and reflect on issues related to the bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia in each other’s language.

Click here for more detailed information on the Parallel Sessions

Practical information
Date: 25 June 2015
Location: Tolhuistuin, IJpromenade 2 in Amsterdam
Time: 12:45 - 18:00 (doors open 12.30)
Language: English (*languages speech contest: English, Bahasa, Dutch)
Registration is closed