This Saturday, University students will have the chance to travel to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, without leaving campus at the Indonesian Student Association’s “Jakarta Fair,” from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the EMU Skylight.
The 15th annual Indonesian Night will highlight Jakarta, one of the 26 provinces of Indonesia, PERMIAS­Indonesian Student Association member Dyah Soekasah said.
PERMIAS member Andree Wibowo said each Indonesian province has a different culture and language. He said each year, the people living in Jakarta have huge celebrations for Indonesia’s Independence Day and other holidays, and PERMIAS wanted to bring this atmosphere of dancing, singing and games to campus.
“Usually we try to represent all the provinces, but this year we are trying to introduce people to just a part of Indonesia’s culture,” Soekasah said.
She said photographs and posters of Jakarta will be hung around the EMU Skylight so people can get a glimpse of the city and learn about its culture.
The evening will begin with a traditional Indonesian dinner of yellow rice and chicken and will be followed by musical performances.
The Indonesian Gamelan Group, a Eugene musical group with 10 members, will be playing traditional Indonesian music. A Gamelan is a group of people playing percussion instruments such as drums and different metal instruments native to Indonesia.
PERMIAS members Adyatama Sumantri, Martin Santoso and Gandhi Ahimsaputra will give an acoustic performance, asking audience members to dance along with them as they perform.
“In Jakarta, there are people on the street who will sing and dance for money, and we wanted to replicate this,” Wibowo said.
Cathylia Hartono and Frisca Petricia will be singing traditional folk and pop songs from Indonesia.
“Not all of the songs are in the Indonesian language because there are many languages throughout the country,” Petricia said.
She said she will be singing two pop songs, “Penggalan Kisah Lama,” a spiritual song about finding faith, and “Penggalan Kisah Lama,” a love song.
“‘Penggalan Kisah Lama’ is about a girl telling a boy that he is a memory in her heart that she will never forget,” Petricia said.
The last song Petricia will be singing is “Ayam Denlapeh,” a folk song about how people should never forget their origins, and they should remember their friends no matter where they travel in life, she said.
PERMIAS also will have game booths, and Indonesian games will be played at intervals in the performance. Games will include a cracker-eating contest, where participants try to eat a cracker that has been tied to a string or rope dangling above their heads.
“It is really difficult because it’s on a string, and they have to try to eat it without using their hands,” Wibowo said.
Another game that will be played, called Bakiak, involves using a piece of plywood that has three straps placed across it. The game requires that three people strap their feet to the Bakiak and attempt to walk a certain distance as a team.
“The Bakiak is sort of like one big sandal,” Wibowo said.
Game winners will receive souvenirs from various Indonesian provinces.
Tickets are on sale at the EMU Ticket Office and cost $6.50 for students and $8.00 for the general public.