Culture Columns

Due to its sheer vastness Indonesia contains a rich variety of cultures. Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city and the center of national politics and economics, is the melting pot of many such cultures. Starting from the colonial era - when the city was known as Batavia - people came from all corners of the archipelago to this developing megacity in search of a livelihood. As a consequence Jakarta currently has a population of almost ten million people (official figure). The distance from the area of cultural origin, however, has resulted in a fading of some cultural features (especially for those families that have been living in Jakarta for multiple generations), but it has been 'enriched' by a distinct urban culture.

  • Islam & Indonesian Culture: Impact of Idul Fitri on the Economy

    Islam & Indonesian Culture: Impact of Idul Fitri on the Economy

    Next week Indonesia's financial and stock markets are closed for Idul Fitri (also known as Lebaran or Eid al-Fitr), the celebrations that mark the end of the holy Islamic fasting month (Ramadan). As usual, during the Ramadan month (that started in early June) business activities in Indonesia start to slow and this slowdown will reach its "peak" during the Idul Fitri holiday, a national holiday (from Monday 4 July to Friday 8 July) when some 17.6 million Indonesians who live and work in the bigger cities will return to their places of origin for a couple of days (a tradition called mudik).

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  • Tour de Flores Cycling Race: Opportunity to Boost Tourism in Indonesia

    Tour de Flores Cycling Race: Opportunity to Boost Tourism in Indonesia

    In Indonesia media are currently not focused on the Giro d'Italia or the upcoming Tour de France but rather on the Tour de Flores, the first ever cycling race as well as the first ever international sporting event that is organized on the island of Flores in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Between 18 and 23 May 2016, 160 competitors from 16 countries participate in the Tour de Flores competing for IDR 1 billion (approx. USD $75,000) in prize money over a 743-kilometer track (in five stages) across the island's spectacular landscape.

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  • National Heroes Indonesia: Ki Hajar Dewantara; Education Pioneer

    National Heroes Indonesia: Ki Hajar Dewantara; Education Pioneer

    Ki Hajar Dewantara (also known as Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat), 1889-1959, was a writer, columnist, politician and advocator of Indonesian independence from the Dutch colonial power. However, he may be most remembered for his pioneering role in the development of education in the Indonesian colony. A native of Yogyakarta (Java), Dewantara founded the Taman Siswa school in 1922 in Yogyakarta. This school provided education for native Indonesians, whereas previously education was limited to the Dutch colonials and Javanese aristocracy.

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  • Tourism in Indonesia: Foreign Tourist Arrivals in 2015 slightly Short of Target

    Tourism in Indonesia: Foreign Tourist Arrivals slightly Short of Target

    Indonesia was visited by 6.3 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2015, up 2.7 percent (y/y) from the same period last year. However, foreign visitor arrivals on Bali, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, fell 11.3 percent (y/y) in August due to the temporary closure of Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport as Mount Raung (located in East Java) spew volcanic ash into the sky. This led to a sharp drop in Australian tourists entering Bali.

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