Indonesia Now - Parallel Sessions

Indonesia Now 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.    

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.

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.

Update 23 June: Registration for both the plenary session and the parallel sessions is closed.

• Rejuvenating Historical City Centres Moderator: Jean Paul Corten. Speakers: Ben Verfürden, Hasti Tarekat, Cristian E. Nita and Fauzi Soelaiman
  Many Indonesian cities have a historical core or neighbourhoods that originated from colonial times. Currently these buildings are under continued threat from floods, urbanisation and bad maintenance. Organisations such as the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Heritage Hands, SHAU Rotterdam and many more are working together with Indonesian partners in revitalising and rejuvenating the historical city centres in Indonesia. This session will highlight some of these approaches. Which projects are successful? Which ideas and experiences are worth spreading? In what way can cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia be strengthened?
   
• Working with/in Indonesia. Moderator: Melchior Bussink. Speakers: Cor Passchier, Gerard Mosterd and Su Tomesen
  Working internationally is a challenging job. You can come across cultural differences, you can experience language barriers and come across new customs. Different working methods and expectations can cause stress for both partners. So, what is it like to work with an Indonesian partner? How can you operate successfully in Indonesia? Which challenges can your projects expect? And how can you avoid or overcome challenges? Three experts from various art disciplines share their experiences in working with/in Indonesia.
   
• Speech contest, organised by Indonesia Nederland Youth Society (INYS)
  Five 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. The speeches will address a wide number of subjects and will give participants a great insight into the views and perspectives of young of present-day relationships between the Netherlands and Indonesia. The winners will repeat their winning speeches at the end of the programme.
   
• Visual Arts Indonesia Moderator Katinka Baehr. Speakers: Hans Treffers, Mia Maria and Berend Strik
  Indonesia’s visual art scene is booming. The works of contemporary Indonesian visual artists are exhibited at renowned international galleries. Thanks to residencies such as Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta, Dutch artists like Berend Strik can experience the Indonesia visual arts scene and work together with local artists. However, there is much more going on. Mia Maria will give an overview of the current Indonesian trends and artists. In addition, other fields of visual arts such as cinema are becoming more and more interesting. After years of decline Indonesia cinema is experiencing a revival. This revival is also noticed by Dutch filmmakers such as Hans Treffer. They are working more and more in and with Indonesia.

• Claiming and reclaiming heritage Moderator Anouk Fienieg. Speakers: Arnold van Bruggen, Bambang Purwanto and PaulJac Verhoeven
  The attitude towards heritage of colonial times in Indonesia is changing. One example of the many ways that Indonesians are approaching their/our shared history can be seen in the streets of Jakarta. Indonesians are dressing up in colonial costumes. It seems to be not a re-enactment of a lost time but instead an active engagement with a complex history. By playing history out, it becomes much more layered and almost tangible. This is just one example of the many ways that a new generation of Indonesians are approaching their/our shared history. Through this panel discussion, you will gain a better idea how Indonesians are reclaiming their history and making it there own.
   
• Gateway to Indonesia  Moderator: Melchior Bussink. Speakers: Ineke de Hoog and Bambang Hari Wibisono
  The Dutch embassy in Jakarta and The Indonesian embassy in The Hague, serve as a gateway to both countries. They support cultural cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia in a number of ways. In this session Ineke de Hoog, Dutch cultural attaché in Jakarta, and Bambang Hari Wibisono, the Indonesia cultural attaché in The Hague, will give you a clear insight in what they can do for you and your projects to facilitate a successful cooperation.
   
• Decentralization and Governance in Indonesia’s Reform era: Developments and Prospects Moderator: Ward Berenschot. Speakers: K. Kuswanto and Ronald L. Holzhacker
  Ever since the Reformasi, the period of transition since the fall of President Suharto in 1998, Indonesia has been undergoing important political changes. Over the past two decades, after earlier periods of centralized governance and authoritarian rule, the archipelago has embarked on a process of decentralization as part of a broader process of democratization. This session will explore the recent developments of this political process, and the effects of reforming governance structures on Indonesian society. Some key trends in the on-going process of decentralization and governance will be identified as well as key challenges ahead.
   
• Performing Arts Indonesia Moderator: Katinka Baehr. Speakers: Arnaud Kokosky Deforchaux, Harijono Roebana, Monica Akihary and Niels Brouwer
  From shadow puppet plays to Balinese dancers, Indonesia’s tradition of performing arts is very diverse. Currently these traditional arts are combined with contemporary art forms to find and connect new national and international audiences. Our panel members have combined Indonesian and Dutch performing art in various ways, resulting in interesting new works. In the panel, they will collate their experiences, reflect on trends and discuss the ways they have previously - and are currently - cooperating with their Indonesian colleagues.