Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/07/2008 7:19 PM
Indonesia and the Netherlands share a long history spanning many centuries, and in a bid to strengthen cultural ties between the two, the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta will host a two-week cultural festival.
"There is no need to promote Holland in Indonesia; everybody knows it because of our colonial past. But we want to strengthen our cultural ties with Indonesia," Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Nikolaos van Dam told The Jakarta Post in an interview at his office recently.
"Holland Weeks", which will run from Nov. 10 to 23, will showcase Dutch painter Paul Husner's paintings, as well as films such as Afblijven and De Scheepsjongens van Bontekoe.
Dutch party band Kleintje Pils, Dutch-Moluccan jazz band Boi- Akih, singer Rebecca Reijman and pianist Ellen Corver will also be on hand to entertain the Jakarta audience.
The main attraction of the festival will be soccer legend Edgar Davids, who will show off his superb soccer skills at a tournament and two soccer clinics. There will also be an ice-skating event at Taman Anggrek Mall's ice rink.
"'Holland Weeks' will be opened by our Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoevan on Monday. She will inaugurate an exhibition of Husner's paintings," Van Dam, who speaks fluent Indonesian, said.
It's not all about culture, Van Dam went on, with business activities also set to take place during the festival.
"We will organize a seminar and business fair on Tuesday at the Shangri-La Hotel," Van Dam said.
One might be compelled to look into one's pockets, especially in the midst of a global financial crisis, before taking part in any of these programs. But don't worry, be happy.
"All the events at 'Holland Weeks' are free of charge. One can watch all the programs without worrying about money," Van Dam unveiled the good news.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.