The Indonesian Student Association’s 10th annual celebration of Indonesian Night was a sharing of cultural understanding and friendship, full of both food and dance.
The event also included short lessons about the Indonesian island of Java in accordance with the event’s theme of ”Mystical Java.” Java is the fifth-largest island of Indonesia and is home to the country’s capital, Jakarta. According to the event’s program, Java is mystical because it “aspires and strives to seek the truth through the evaluation of the deep self or the true ‘I.’ ”
The evening began with a demonstration of martial arts native to Java, followed by a video showing scenes of landscapes, art and cultural events in Java.
The event’s honored guests then took the stage, one of which was the consul general of the Republic of Indonesia in Chicago, Ibu Rosmalawati.
She expressed appreciation to the university for hosting Indonesian Night each year.
“Nurturing a culture of understanding, tolerance and also cultural interaction … is very important,” she said. “This is a good event to promote mutual understanding among students who will become our future leaders.”
Next came two dances, one of which was a solo performance and the other featuring a group. The group included six men and six women of Italian, Thai, American and Indonesian nationalities. The group dance, called Indang dance, received the loudest applause of the evening.
Rohmayandi, a graduate student from Indonesia studying linguistics, was one of the performers in the group dance. That was her first time experiencing Indonesian Night, and although she was nervous, she said performing was her favorite part of the evening.
“I was really proud to be able to perform an Indonesian dance in front of people, and for people to appreciate what I’m doing,” she said.
She felt that people should come to events similar to Indonesian Night because it can promote understanding and better relationships.
“People sometimes think things that are bad about people because they don’t understand each other,” she said. “But when we understand each other, I think we will have better relationships with other human beings.”
The food served at the event included several traditional Indonesian dishes, many of which were vegan-friendly. Following the dinner was more dancing, and during the final number of the evening, the audience was invited to join in.
Hannah Steele, a junior domestic student studying globalization and development, decided to attend Indonesia Night for the first time because of her interactions with the Indonesian Student Association through her involvement in the International Student Union.
She said she particularly enjoyed the dances and traditional costumes worn by the performers and especially liked participating in the final dance.
“It’s a great chance to learn about other cultures, experience new food and a new language,” she said. “I think it’s really important for all students to come to cultural events like this and just see something new and different and learn about your fellow students here.”
