JAKARTA – The millions of Indonesians living away from the archipelago need to join forces to support each other and promote Indonesian products and culture, says Dino Patti Djalal, the country’s ambassador to the U.S.
“In the Philippines, news about Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs, is in the press almost every day. In India, Non-Resident Indians, or NRIs, have influence on local politics despite living overseas and special status under Indian law. Indonesia’s diaspora, however, doesn’t even have an acronym yet.
Mr. Djalal is trying to fix that. He is sponsoring the country’s first-ever Congress of Indonesian Diaspora, or CID, a gathering of Indonesians living abroad as well as other supporters of Indonesia, in Los Angeles in July.
“We are not that active of a diaspora community,” possibly because Indonesians tend to try to blend in when living abroad, he says. “We are trying to change from a local mindset to a global mindset.”
The Congress, which will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center, will bring Indonesians from all over the world for panels on everything from “Engaging and Partnering with Your Host Community,” to “Defining the 21st Century Profile of Indonesia,” and “Becoming Agents or Distributors for Indonesian Products.” The Indonesian embassy expects around 2,000 participants for the Congress, out of a total of about 150,000 Indonesians settled in the U.S.
The gathering will also promote a big push for Indonesian food, textile, music and other culture. Often in the U.S., Indonesia is eclipsed by its smaller neighbor Thailand when it comes to having a cultural presence, with scores of Thai restaurants for every Indonesian one. “Promoting Indonesian Restaurants in Your Host City,” will be the theme of one of the discussions.
“Of course I am biased but Indonesian food is the best in Southeast Asia, but it’s not that popular” abroad, says Mr. Djalal, who is in Jakarta to promote the event. “If we can make it a profitable business, then the tide will change.”
Indonesia has much more to offer the world than nasi goreng and rendang. The U.S. embassy has been promoting batik textiles by inviting American designers to try their hand at designing the colorful cloth. Meanwhile, Mr. Djalal plans to promote Dangdut – a uniquely Indonesian form of pop music that combines elements of Malay, Arabic and Indian music – with an event called “Dangdut Comes to America.”
Convincing proud Indonesians to promote their culture abroad will help raise the country’s profile and deepen expatriates’ appreciation of what they have to offer from the country they left, Mr. Djalal said.
“I can see them becoming a moral, economic and intellectual force,” he says.
Source: The Wall Street Journal – South East Asia Realtime
By Eric Bellman | Monday, May 14, 2012, 6:06 PM SGT
By Eric Bellman | Monday, May 14, 2012, 6:06 PM SGT
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