Indonesian Night will feature authentic Indonesian food, music and dancing, so students and the Athens community can learn about Papua and Indonesian culture.
Only one-eighth of a percent of the international students at Ohio University are from Indonesia.
Despite the small fraction of students out of the nearly 2,000 international students on campus, the Indonesian Students Association is taking on the challenge of educating the public about Indonesian culture through music, dancing and food.
The Indonesian Students Association will host the eighth annual Indonesian Night on Friday in Baker Ballroom.
Indonesia is located southeast of India and has more than 17,500 islands. This year, Indonesian Night will focus on Papua, the largest Indonesian province.
“Ultimately, we want to showcase and promote our culture because not many people (know) where is Indonesia and how diverse it is,” Nissa Rahma Aprilia, a second-year graduate student studying Asian studies, said.
Last year, the Indonesian Students Association sold 350 tickets. This year, because of budget cuts, it is selling only 250 tickets — $7 per ticket. The association has sold 135 tickets as of press time and expects more students to buy tickets in the next two days, Aprilia said. Tickets can be purchased on the first floor of Baker Center.
Indonesian Night usually sells out. However, last year the event was held the weekend before spring break, so not as many people attended, Aprilia said.
There are 15 students from Indonesia at OU, according to the Office of Institutional Research, but the group still has a large turnout for the event.
“I think it’s quite remarkable that we can keep going because the amount of Indonesian students we have,” Aprilia said. “That’s why it’s fun and it’s beautiful that we come together.”
Indonesian Night will serve traditional Indonesian cuisine such as satay, a kabob and beef rendang, a beef stew that CNN chose as the No. 1 dish in the world. There also will be multiple vegetarian options, such as tofu and tempeh, a cake made out of soybeans, Triwik Kurniasari, a graduate student studying communication and development studies, said.
“Indonesian night is actually one of the biggest cultural events at OU,” Aprilia said. “It’s one of the things that you should see.”
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During the event, the Indonesian Students Association will show short videos about the land and culture of Papua, Kurniasari said.
There will be four different dancers throughout the night, all who are performing are from diverse backgrounds. Some of the dancers are from Bali and Cambodia. One of the dances is called the “Dance of a Thousand Hands,” Aprilia said.
“I’m always pleased to see that American students (and) other international students are coming together,” Radityo Aryo Hutomo, a second-year graduate student studying Asian studies, said.
“Together we can introduce our culture and open up discussions,” Hutomo said. “That’s always one of the things that makes us want to do this each year.”
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