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Kang GURU Magazine - June 2007
So what else besides culture have we got for you? KGCC language club members will find lots of news on the KGCC page with Cheryl while teachers should check out the Teacher Page from Sue. The AusAID pages will be of special interest to those people who are thinking about scholarships and other important development activities. The winner of the 2007 KGRE Writing Competition is also announced on page 16. As usual there are language tasks to be completed but be quick. Don’t wait too long to enter as all competitions finish on July 31st. Don't forget KGRE BALI - 10th Anniversary later this year. Listen to your local radio station and look on the KGRE website for special KGRE BALI - 10th Anniversary competitions. Keep a look out for the special KGRE anniversary souvenirs celebrating this exciting event.
The next KGRE magazine will have an environmental theme for you. Are you interested in the environment? I bet you
are. KGRE is for sure! YOU can be a part of the September edition of this magazine. Be a part of it and practice
your English at the same time. Why not write to us about an environmental problem, or even better, an environmental
solution, in your local area?
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The
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the indigenous people of Australia. For thousands of years they
have painted stories of the
‘Dreamtime’, the time when the earth was created, and they have also recorded scenes from their daily
lives. In the past these paintings were often done on rocks or tree bark, using colours made from earth and plants.
Popular subjects were animals, people and sometimes even ships from other countries. Other types of painting included
temporary designs made on the ground and body decorations, both important in religious ceremonies. These days many
indigenous artists also paint on canvas with acrylic paints.
Traditional and modern art of Indonesia
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Did Indonesia export its culture and its spices to Africa thousands of years ago?
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The
Asmat people of Papua are famous all around the world for their sculptures. These often represent their ancestors,
and are therefore a very important part of their culture. Their highly developed wood carving skills are also
used to make beautiful shields, canoes and drums.
Another
form of art that many people are familiar with is the ‘Young Artists’ style of painting which originated
in Bali in the 1960s. These paintings show people in the villages and countryside going about their daily lives.
The colours are usually bright and the paintings are full of interesting details of local culture.
Perhaps
at the same time Aboriginal Australians were painting ships on rocks, artists in Indonesia were making rock sculptures
of ships for Borobudur. A few years ago Indonesian ship builders built a ship that was a copy of one of the sculptures
at Borobudur. The idea came from Philip Beale, an Englishman who
believed
that ships from Indonesia were sailing to Africa thousands of years ago. One reason for his belief was a strong
similarity between some forms of Indonesian and African music. The ship was called ‘Samudra Raksa’
and it took seven months in 2003-04 to sail from Indonesia to Ghana with an international crew. The ship is now
displayed in a special museum at Borobudur.
Love it or hate it?
The
arrival of the durian season is a special time for many Indonesians. In fact, we could say that inspecting durian,
eating durian and talking about durian are part of the culture - food culture anyway! People who live in South Sumatra
might be lucky enough to eat a durian like this from the Rupit district. It not only looks beautiful but it tastes
very good too!
However, not everyone loves durian. Sometimes tourists in Indonesia see signs like this sign displayed at the front
of a hotel in Mataram, NTB. They think it is very amusing.
In Love with English
Hilmin Dwi Astuti
Scholarships
It’s great to hear from a student studying Indonesian at university. In the March magazine we provided some useful information about Australian Development Scholarships. You can also check out the ADS website at http://www.adsjakarta.or id or find out about more scholarships at http://www.australianscholarships.gov.au Good luck!
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This decorative envelope is from Jazilatus Saadah at SMA Negeri 1 Ngunut, Tulungagung, East Java.
Fun with KGCC
I’m a housewife. I do like English and talking with foreigners but unfortunately I’m always afraid
to talk. But after I went to Yogyakarta with the English Society Club Semarang for the ‘Jump to Java’
cultural exchange my desire to learn has appeared again. My sons are also interested to learn English after meeting
many foreigners from different countries. They have entered the Joeys competitions. At least now they are a little
bit brave and are willing to learn English.
Hi Feliks in Flores
Dear Feliks, I hope you keep listening to KGRE as well as reading the magazine. Perhaps you could start an
English club in Ngada. If you’d like some ideas about how to do this there are some suggestions on page
12 of the March magazine. Why not write to me and I’ll send them to you. |
A Visit to KGRE Six years Ago
July 2001 was a happy moment for me when I visited the KGRE office and I had a little broken English chat with
you. Two years later, I graduated from Universitas Negeri Semarang and your magazine has been a great friend
to me and my students making a long journey learning English. Every week we exhibit their writings on MAjalah
dinDING Sekolah. KGRE Best of Celebrity Interview will be a part of our activities if we have one. Would you
like to give us one? If it is allowed, I would copy it to be given to some my best students for their best effort.
Thank you.
I am a university student in STKIP Hamzanwadi Selong. I am from Padamana. I just want to give my opinion about
Kang Guru magazine. This magazine is very interesting for me because it has news, stories and entertainment.
I am very happy to read this magazine because it can give me knowledge and help me to study and speak English.
Please try to put some riddles in the magazine.
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Idioms and slang expressions can be found even in the world of arts and culture. Here are four for you to practise.
Try and use them next time you are talking about arts and culture. But remember don’t use too many idioms
in one conversation or your English will sound unnatural.
A Culture VultureA culture vulture is someone who is very keen to see and experience art, dance, theatre, literature, music in fact all kinds of culture. Interest could be with their own culture or a foreign culture. Look at this example:
Culture ShockMore and more people are traveling to foreign countries these days. Sometimes when they arrive in a foreign city they are often confused and surprised to find things are very different from their hometown. The writing may be different, the opening times of shops and offices different, the types of food people eat and even the things people find funny could be different to what they are used to. They suffer from culture shock. It is a phrase often heard on TV or in other media these days. Here is an example:
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When In Rome Do As The Romans DoPeople from different places have different ways of doing things. If we say ‘When in Rome do as the Romans do’ it means copy what the local people are doing. Here’s an example.
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What
makes a painting or other work of art beautiful? Two or three people can look at a painting yet only one of them
thinks it is beautiful. Why? Well the answer could be that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning everyone
finds beauty in different things. Look at this example.
  KGRE
has noticed there are idioms or sayings in English which have similar meanings to sayings in Indonesian. For
example: Different pond, different fish –
Lain lubuk lain ikannya or the grass is always greener on the other side
– rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau daripada rumput di pekarangan sendiri. KGRE is challenging you to
find three more Indonesian idioms or sayings which have similar meanings in English. Send your entries to KGRE
before July 31st either by email or letter and you might be the lucky winner of one of these Idioms Dictionaries.
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Sometimes when we don’t know the local culture we can make mistakes. Do we use the word ‘shy’, ‘embarrassed’ or ‘ashamed’ to describe how we feel in those situations? The Indonesian word malu means all of these words in English, depending on the situation we are talking about. In English we cannot substitute one for the other, but learners of English in Indonesia often do. We use the word ‘shy’ to describe people who are uncomfortable talking and interacting with other people. ‘Dewi’s very shy and always hides if anyone says hello to her. Hasan’s just the opposite. He’s very outgoing. He talks to anyone.’ The word ‘embarrassed’ is used to describe the way we feel in certain situations. We also use the word ‘embarrassing’ to describe the situation. ‘I forgot to put my wallet in my bag so I couldn’t pay the restaurant bill after lunch. I was so embarrassed!’
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The word ‘ashamed’ is used to describe the way many people feel after they have deliberately done something wrong, especially when other people know about it too.
‘You should be ashamed! Taking money from your grandmother’s purse is a very
bad thing to do. It’s stealing. Please give the money back and say you’re sorry.’ |
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The word 'culture' comes from the Latin word – cultura. It generally refers to patterns of human activity
- the way people do things. Culture is often linked to music, religion, art and science, as well as moral systems
and the characteristic behaviours and habits of people. Different Indonesian culture has been shaped over hundreds of years. Geographically, Indonesia is located right in the middle of ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East. As a result, Indonesian culture has been strongly influenced by many cultural groups and religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam. It has also been affected by many foreign influences including the occupation of the Dutch and the Portuguese. Other cultures, including the broadly named ‘western culture’, have also influenced Indonesia in many ways. Modern technology, mass communications, television programs, movies and songs have all contributed to the cultural mix. India, especially, has influenced Indonesian songs and movies. A popular type of song is dangdut, its Indian rhythm often mixed with Arab and Malay folk music. The art forms that can be seen across the archipelago show the complex cultural mix within the nation. Wayang, traditional puppet shows, were used to spread Hinduism and Islam amongst Javanese villagers. Both Javanese and Balinese dances tell stories about ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms.
The Hudoq Festival, Long Pahangai,
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Islamic art forms and architecture are present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions. Traditional art, music and sport are combined into a martial art form called pencak silat. Despite the influences of foreign culture, uniquely indigenous cultures still survive in some remote Indonesian regions. Ethnic groups such as the Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their rituals and customs, and wearing traditional clothes. The result is an absolutely fascinating and complex cultural mixture from Sabang all the way east to Merauke. Modern Australia is much younger than Indonesia. However the number of different cultural groups that have contributed to the cultural identity of the ‘Land Down Under’ is quite amazing. The first were the original inhabitants, the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. Other people, mainly from England, arrived in Australia in the late 1700s. During the gold rushes of the 1880s Chinese and even Americans arrived in search of wealth. Beginning in the 1940s, Australia welcomed people from many other European nations besides Britain. In the 1970s people from many Asian nations, including Indonesia, joined the move to Australia. Nowadays in Australia there are people and communities representing many cultural and ethnic groups from all around the world. It is truly a multicultural nation, and so is Indonesia - not so much with people from all around the world, but with people from all islands in the vast archipelago.
My Life in the JungleMy favourite memory happened when my parents came to visit me for a holiday when I was teaching at a high school in central Kalimantan Timur. One evening we were sitting in my house and some of the boys and one of the girls that I taught came and knocked on the door. They said that they wanted to dance for my parents. I was very surprised because I didn’t know that they could dance! The boys had brought a traditional guitar with them and they borrowed my buckets to use as drums. The boys danced a war dance with lots of jumping and shouting then the girl danced a graceful bird of peace dance between them. It was a very special evening and I was very proud of how clever and talented my naughty students were and my parents still say that it was the best dancing that they have ever seen! Fiona
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societies,
such as Indonesia and Australia, often have very different cultures, and this makes the world a very interesting
place.
This annual
harvest festival takes place in the upper reaches of the Mahakam, river in East Kalimantan. That is around four
days travel upriver from Samarinda, passing through some dangerous rapids and spectacular scenery.
Sport and Culture?
Capt. KGRE
Madura to China
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Jaranan
Alwi Budi Satmaka
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I went
to India last February for a holiday with my brother. There were so many amazing places to see and many wonderful
things to do there. We saw the fantastic Taj Mahal (see below), the Red Fort in Delhi, old Bombay (Mumbai) and
Bollywood. We ate local food and zoomed around in gas powered bajai. But more amazingly, do you know what we
saw EVERYWHERE we went? It was on every corner block, on every street, beside highways and even on the steps
outside the famous Jama Masjid mosque, the largest in India built by Shah Jahan in 1658. Yes, it was cricket.
People were playing cricket absolutely everywhere. Cricket is said to be a part of the heart and soul of India – an
important part of culture nation-wide.
Margaret
and her husband, John, worked in Madura for two years as teacher trainers with an AusAID project. Here’s
Margaret again BUT not in Madura. 'I have been living in Tanggu, China for 2 months teaching primary school.
The classes are co-educational. I have an assistant accompany me during all lessons for interpreting and for
disciplinary matters, if necessary. The average number of students per class is thirty. The things I miss about
Indonesia are the relaxed lifestyle, close contact with the local community, and their openness and friendliness.
During my time as a Teacher Trainer at Ponpes An-Nuqayah, one of the highlights of my day was to visit the English
language teachers in their homes and enjoy hot locally produced kopi tubruk. There was always time to chat.Things
are faster here and not nearly as relaxed and easy-going. I am enjoying China though.'
Jaranan is
a traditional folk dance from Java where six to eight performers ride bamboo horses wearing wooden masks. The
dance is accompanied by gamelan performers. Before beginning, horses are placed in two rows at the centre of
an open area. Offerings are placed near where the musicians sit facing the horses. The music starts and the performers
come out and kneel beside the horses. Each of them grips a wooden stick. The changing rhythm of music signals
the beginning of the performance. All the performers stand up and begin their dances as they
‘ride’ their horses. Within a few minutes, the riders are divided into two groups and then they are ‘at
war’. They strike one another with their bamboo sticks. Eventually all the performers fall down on the
ground. At this moment, spirits are said to enter the performers’ bodies.
In mid April 2007 I was given the opportunity to travel to Australia again. This time I went to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. During my wonderful two week trip I was able to see interesting things and places. And I would like to share some of the cultural 'things' that I saw and experienced there. You can read more interesting stories from my Aussie trip on the KGRE website.
Morning tea at the AusAID Canberra office
I paid a visit to the AusAID office in Canberra when I was there. Karen Ingram and Michael Wightman, the AusAID
Public Relations officers, arranged my visit. It was a really interesting and heartfelt experience for me, to
visit such an institution which has given assistance to millions of people in the Asia Pacific region through
many development projects, including Kang Guru Radio English. I was invited to join them for morning tea. I
wasn’t sure what that was. We went to another room and there was food on the table and staff members were
sitting and standing around it. Then Mike introduced me to a number of people there. Later I interviewed Jenny
Da Rin who is Director, Public Affairs at AusAID and here is her explanation about morning tea. |
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During morning tea they shared stories, had a bit of a laugh, and were at ease with everyone. I do think this is a good way to bring comfort and friendliness and maintain good relations amongst staff members. Perhaps it is a good idea for the KGRE office to follow this tradition? Tea, coffee and cakes every day! |
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‘We
get together every Friday morning for about half an hour. We just take turns to bring something to share with
the group. This morning I was cooking and I cooked some bacon and egg and tomato quiches. And we also brought
some cookies and some cheese and grapes and biscuits. It’s very important for us because we work very hard
and we don’t often get a chance to just sit around as a group and share the news and have an informal chat.
And Friday tends to be a little bit more informal than other days of the week. Unlike Indonesia we don’t
have Batik day. We tend to have blue jeans on Friday. Blue jeans and morning tea.’
Voluntary work - outstanding value!
Besides being famous for its public parks and gardens, Melbourne also has many interesting tourist attractions.
One of them is Puffing Billy – an old steam train. It’s located in Belgrave, an hour by electric
train from Flinders Street station. I loved this steam train and the two-hour trip through the scenic Dandenong
Ranges. It's just beautiful! I chatted with two Australian ladies and I was amazed to find out that this tourist
attraction is the work of many dedicated volunteers. They
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ANZAC Day CommemorationWe have ‘Hari Pahlawan’ here in Indonesia which falls on 10 November. In Australia they have ‘ANZAC Day’ on 25 April. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is the day when Australians remember all those who died in wars over the years. And how do Australians commemorate the day? It starts with a dawn service at about 5.30am when the sun is just coming up. These are held at war memorials across the country. Then later in the day the ex-servicemen and women (veterans) meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. What amazed me was that I could see commemorations everywhere. It’s a public holiday in Australia and people, including children, participated in the dawn service. Hundreds of people watched the marches/parade and clapped hands for veterans on the parade. There was also a big football match on that day in Melbourne. It’s very clear that ANZAC Day is an important national occasion in Australia. Here in Indonesia, although ‘Hari Pahlawan’ is an important day, it’s usually commemorated quietly.
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work
on the train, the railway track, stations and shops and don’t get paid. I know that voluntary work is
common and much appreciated in Australia. But I never knew that their work can bring so much joy to thousands
of people who visit the Dandenong Ranges and take a ride on Puffing Billy. Everything to me looked professionally
and beautifully done. It seems that voluntary work has become a community culture in Australia. People are happy
volunteering their time on a regular basis to do things that interest them.
Another interesting
thing is that Australia has war memorials in all cities and they are usually located in the public parks and
gardens. They really draw attention from the community and visitors. Even the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in
Canberra has become a major tourist attraction. My thanks to Emma Campbell, Media Relations Officer at AWM, who
organised a tour for me.
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The Joeys enjoy learning about Indonesian arts and culture at school. They also talk to their parents and grandparents
about life when they were young. They really like stories about local culture in different islands, cities, towns
and villages a long time ago. Sometimes they share that information at Joeys Club meetings. They entered the
KGRE writing competition about local culture in the March magazine. Did you? If not, don’t forget to enter
next year!
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The Joeys also went on a club excursion. They had lots of fun, as you can see, especially Ali and Samuel. What are they doing? Where do you think they are?
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Joeys postcard task for SMP students
Look at pictures 1 to 4. What are these people doing and where are they? Send us a postcard with your answers before the end of July. Three lucky winners will get a book about Australia. Isn’t that a great prize? You must include your full name and address, the name of your school and your year at school.
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Joeys SMS task for SMP studentsHere are some new Joeys stickers. Do you know their names? On the left are Fatimah, Natalya and Sinta. On the right are Budi, Samuel and Ali. Would you like to win some of these stickers? Enter our SMS task. It’s a word puzzle. First look at this example. 9 12 9 22 5 9 14 9 14 4 15 14 5 19 9 1 = I live in Indonesia What is this? 9 12 15 22 5 20 8 5 10 15 5 24 19 = ? ________________________________ (four words) Send the answer with your name, school and year at school to 081 2387 0479. 100 lucky SMP students will get a set of six Joeys stickers! Be sure to check the Joeys Page every month on the KGRE website for special monthly Joeys competitions - http://www.kangguru.org/joeys.htm
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What does a Cultural Attache do?Fiona Hoggart from Melbourne, has been working as a First Secretary in the Cultural Department of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta for about one year. KGRE met her recently and asked her about how she came to be working in Indonesia.
From left: Wati, Fiona, Emiraldi and Sulis Fiona said her love affair with Indonesia began after her first trip fourteen years ago. She was very interested in Indonesian literature and chose to study Indonesian at Monash University, Melbourne for three years. Then she took up the opportunity to study Indonesian literature for three months at the University of Gajah Mada in Jogjakarta. While she was at university she also played in a gamelan orchestra at the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne. In 1999 she moved to Canberra to work at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). After working in many different areas she was appointed First Secretary, Cultural at the Australian Embassy Jakarta. This was an exciting opportunity for her to get more involved with her great interest in Indonesian cultural activities. In Jakarta she works alongside Wati Syamsu, an Indonesian who began working at the embassy in 1976. KGRE asked Fiona and Wati to explain the purpose of the cultural section of an embassy. Fiona told us that the main or primary purpose of the cultural section is to build friendship and increase understanding between the people of Indonesia and the people of Australia. Wati added that this is done in many different ways, such as through arts and culture, sport, the media, and various social programs. Fiona called it the ‘People to People Approach.’ Fiona says she feels very lucky working in this department, as she loves meeting many different people as she travels around Indonesia. She visits schools, universities and community centres talking to Indonesians about life in Australia. She tells them about the many things Australia and Indonesia have in common such as family life and schools. In her 12 months in Indonesia she has visited Aceh, Padang, Jambi, Bandung, Jogjakarta, Malang, Surabaya, Bali and Lombok and is looking forward to visiting Eastern Indonesia.
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Cultural ProgramsWati explained some of the programs the Australian Embassy facilitates – the ‘People to People’ links which help build understanding between the two cultures.
l You can read about these programs on www.dfat.gov.au and the KGRE website www.kangguru.org - go to AusAID
archives.
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When at the AusAID office in Canberra Ogi met Mr Alistair Sherwin, Assistant Director General Indonesia Branch, and asked him most frequently asked questions by Indonesians i.e. why the Australian government is so generous to Indonesia and why Indonesia is important to Australia. Here are his answers to those questions, ‘Australia is generous to Indonesia because Australia sees itself as a good world citizen and wants to assist Indonesia to make improvement and to build its capacity in a number of areas. We want to see Indonesia to be a stable and strong and prosperous country. Indonesia is our closest neighbour and we have similar concern and interests so that explains why we're contributing so much. And also we can learn from each other.’ |
John Pariwono’s Tips For Completing the ADS Application Form
If you are interested in applying
for an Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) then it is important to be well prepared and know exactly what you
must do. John Pariwono from IPB Bogor, and a graduate from Flinders University Adelaide, has been an academic interviewer
for ADS since 1993. Each year he travels around Indonesia as part of a team of lecturers. They interview short-listed
candidates for the ADS program. In 2006 they interviewed almost 600 candidates. But before interviews, candidates
must complete the application form properly.
Here are John’s Golden Tips about completing the ADS Application Form.
Look out in the next KGRE Magazine for John’s Golden Tips on being well prepared for the ADS Academic Interview. The Australian Scholarships Initiative covers the 3 types of scholarships offered by the Australian Government. ADS, Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) and the Endeavour Program.
Visit this website for all the details of all these scholarships - |
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SADIOn the 12th April 2007, Australia’s Ambasador to Indonesia, H.E. Bill Farmer attended the official opening of AusAID’s new 48 million dollar agricultural program in Makassar – the Small Agribusiness Development Initiative - SADI.
SADI aims to reduce poverty in rural areas by working with farmers and with people who process, buy and sell agricultural products. SADI will work with three existing programs to make them stronger and increase their range of activities. The first program is KDP or Kecamatan Development Program. It will use the KDP model to support the development of income generating activities at the household level. Local communities, especially farmer groups, will be encouraged to identify any problems they are having (ketidakleluasaan) which limit development. Then SADI will provide them with assistance to overcome these problems. The second program is Penguatan Agribisnis Swasta dan Pengembangan, which aims to create a more efficient business environment for agriculture. SADI will focus on building stronger relationships between farmers and processors, and producers, buyers and sellers and even the government. SADI will work with farmers and traders in different areas such as peanuts, corn and the coffee trade to help them solve problems so they can sell their products more easily. One idea being suggested is to use SMS and mobile phones to send prices to farmers and traders. The third program used by SADI - will be to improve local agricultural research and to make sure farmers can easily use the results. This will help farmers improve their productivity.
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The Local Governance and Infrastructure for Communities in Aceh (LOGICA) program, an AusAID initiative, has been working in a sub-district of Aceh Besar for the past twelve months. In April the Peukan Bada sub-district office opened. This is quite a new kind of office for Aceh. The new office was designed and built to combine several sub-district government roles into a ’single window’ office. Here Acehnese citizens can come to a single office, on a single visit, for government public services, including the production of identity cards, birth, death and marriage certificates, some licenses and change of address documentation. This reduces bureaucracy and makes for more efficient sub-district government. More importantly, however, the Single Window Office has a mandated minimum service requirement- or Standard Operational Procedures. This protocol sets a minimum standard of customer service that customers can expect of the employees. The cost of each document and the length of time it should take to process are all clearly displayed in the waiting area for customers to read. It is a system, that if successful, will be a model to be implemented across the province. Having been created in close consultation with Acehnese stakeholders, this LOGICA project has been at the forefront of efforts to improve the capacity of the Acehnese sub-district level administrations to provide for their citizens.
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Mr Farmer
was very enthusiastic to meet and talk with the farmers in Gowa Regency. He really enjoyed seeing the very early
work of SADI in the vilages.
PuppetsDid you know that in Indonesia there are more than 60 styles of wayang plays? Puppets, and the stories they tell, are a valuable and interesting way to learn about a country’s culture. The Mahabharata and Ramayana are two of the favourite stories Indonesian wayang puppets tell. Have you seen any of them?
Traditionally, they tell stories which reflect rural life. However one troupe (rombongan) has taken a traditional story and given it a modern twist. The story is about a thief who steals antique statues from a temple and tries to sell them to become rich quickly. The local people find him with help from the animals in the rice fields and the thief is sent to prison. By watching the play local villagers are taught about the need to value and preserve their heritage. They also learn about the law. The idea of telling village people about modern life is catching on in all types of puppet shows in Indonesia too. Troupes often twist modern themes into their stories. Even government information campaigns have used wayang as a way to educate the public. In 2003 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated Indonesia’s wayang kulit as a ‘Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.’
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Myths and Legends:
The Aboriginal people of Australia have many legends. The most famous of these are called the Dreamtime. The
Dreamtime explains the origin and culture of the land and its people. Some people say Aboriginal culture dates
back 65,000 years. Amazing! The Dreamtime contains many parts. As with other cultures it explains how the Earth
was formed and how humans were created. There are Gods and Goddesses – some who were kind hearted and
some who were cruel. Each tribe has its own individual Dreamtime story but many of them have similar parts to
the story. The Dreamtime stories are passed down to the next generation through story telling and dancing and
painting. Nothing is written down and there are no TV series about it either! Traditional Whale Fishing in 2007Nowadays, not every family buys the fish for their dinner from a traditional market or supermarket. There are records from 1624 telling about the villagers of Lamalera on Lembata Island in NTT hunting whales in traditional wooden boats. Today, nearly 500 years later they still go out in wooden boats with woven lontar sails armed only with spears! The fishermen row their boats out to sea shouting ‘Hilibe!’ on every stroke. If a whale is sighted the fishermen shout ‘Baleo!’ and all the boats row towards the whale. The whale is harpooned by a fisherman standing on a scaffold at the front of the boat. The other fishermen help to kill the whale and tow it back to the village. Each boat belongs to a clan and every member of the clan gets his share of the meat. This very old tradition still continues today.
A traditional fisherman mending sails
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Dewi from Kediri asked KGRE, ‘Whydoes English have so many words?’ There is a simple answer.
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In Vietnam
there are water puppets. The puppeteers stand in a pond of water. They operate hand-carved and painted wooden
puppets from behind a bamboo screen.
Here are some words used in English
that have been borrowed from other languages. Guess which country they originally came from.
On April 12th, Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Bill Farmer, said that he was very happy that an Australian football team was visiting Indonesia. The Sydney Football Club visited Solo to play against Persik Kediri. Australians hosted Persik Kediri for the return match on April 25th in Sydney.
'Playing sport
together is a great opportunity to build the spirit of friendship between the peoples of our two countries,” said
Mr Farmer. “The management of Sydney Football Club has asked me to pass on their special appreciation to the
Indonesian Football Association (Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia - PSSI), Persik Kediri Football Association,
Solo Football Association Local Organising Committee and Indonesian government authorities.'
Football, and
in particular, Aussie Rules Football, plays a big part in the culture of many Australians. People who live in Victoria
and in South or Western Australia are surrounded by Aussie Rules during the winter months each year. Football is
everywhere – on television, in the newspapers, in advertising and on every football field in each state almost
every Saturday and sometimes on Sunday too. It isn’t the only type of football played in Australia BUT it
is the only really unique Aussie sport. Even Mr Bean loves Aussie Rules. Recently Mr Bean paid a visit to a football
practice match in Melbourne.
AUSSIE students and their comments about Indonesia
KGRE interviewed several visiting Australian students in the KGRE office in March 2007. The two main questions,
about Australian and Indonesian culture, were these - What is a surprising part of Indonesian culture? and What
part of Aussie culture is important for Indonesian people to know more about?
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'Probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed is everybody here's so friendly. They'll all happily have a chat to you. All ya do is just give 'em a wave. The locals get very excited to meet new people and stop and have a chat with you.' Zach also had some interesting comments to make about the importance of sport in Australian culture. What do you think of his advice to Indonesia? Agree or not? In Australia everybody loves sport and plays and watches it on tv - pretty much everyday. We watch cricket and football on tv. Indo people should definitely spend less time working and more time enjoying themselves and doing stuff like that. Sport is very important to me because it’s kind (of) gets you away from work or school and kind of makes you very happy, doing what you like to do.'
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Alex wants Indonesians to realize that all Aussies are not all like Steve Irwin. To stereotype all Australians in this way would be like saying that all Indonesians are like the characters from Extravaganza. One other point from Alex – Aussies do not have kangaroos as pets. 'We are not all like Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter because you don’t say crikey all the time. We do have kangaroos in our country but not as pets.' |
Zach is from
Macksville High School in Australia and has just finished Year 12. Zach was amazed at the friendliness of Indonesian
people.
Alex is in Year
11 at Macksville High and like Abby and Zach, she is studying bahasa Indonesia. It was interesting that Alexandria
had been actually saving her money for three years so that she could come to Indonesia on this school trip. Alex
commented that it was the customs and traditions that she found most interesting. An example of this are the
daily offerings made by the Balinese. Traditional clothing is another aspect of culture in Indonesia that Alex
found interesting. She said that Australia really doesn’t have traditional clothing, except perhaps isolated
items such as the Akubra hat and RM Williams boots.
OzMate - the Australian Alumni Network
Have you studiedat an Australian school, college or university?
If your answer is "YES", then you should join OzMate (www.ozmate.org)
OzMate
(read: oz meyt) is an online networking community exclusive to Indonesians would have studied or are still studying
at an Australian school, college or university. It is an initiative of the Australian Education Centres (AECs) which
are the only official Australian Government source on Australian education and training. OzMate is
a self-registration web site and its membership is FREE.
Simple registration process
Registering in OzMate is very simple. You only have to fill in your
personal, business and education profile. You may also upload your favorite pictures.
Club of the Month
Club of the Month for January - Sasak English Club (KGCC #023) in Central Lombok, NTB. They like to practise English with people who visit Lombok, including tourists from Australia and Germany. You can see a photo of this club in the December 2006 magazine.
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Club of the Month for February - Five Conversation Club (KGCC #006), based at SMPN5 Tuban, East Java. They use
the POUCH and KGRE magazines in their activities at meetings and also sometimes use Kang Guru materials for
listening activities.
Club of the Month for March - English Club of Pamekasan Youth (KGCC #068) in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java. This
club enjoys a wide range of |
Club of the Month for April - English Conversation Club of YPRU (KGCC #014) in Pati, Central Java. This club
contributes to the wall magazine at their school. It contains a short story, sports news, hot news about film
stars, caricatures and cartoons, religious matters, and a section for
Club of the Month for May – Pasarwajo Speed English Club (KGCC #037) in Buton, Central Sulawesi. The members
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activities.
These include discussing Quick Fix topics, inviting guest speakers to their meetings and visiting other English
clubs. 
poems,
wise words, idioms and funky language.
of
this club include a policeman, nurse, midwife, teacher and dental nurse as well as students. They have been involved
with AusAID programs in their area such as Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby and the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange
Program.
Read about these clubs and other KGCCs on our website: http://www.kangguru.org/kgreconnectionclubnetwork.htm
KGCC and the environmentinsert graphic During May - June, many KGCCs completed environmental tasks offered to them by KGRE. In the September magazine, the results of their work will be presented to you. KGRE is hopeful that the results will be fantastic and very informative. Some clubs have entered the poster part of the activity while others are planning environmental activities in their area. Some clubs have been in contact with students in Australia and have been talking with them about the environment. Let's wait and see okay? http://www.kangguru.org/pouchenvironmentaltasks.html Join The Club!
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Welcome to new clubsOver the past few months a number of new clubs have joined KGCC. Welcome to:
Randu’s Chatting Club (#081), Ungaran, Central Java And welcome to the following clubs in East Java:
Prodigy English Study Club Indonesia (#082), Mojokerto
English language clubs are certainly popular in East Java! We hope to welcome more clubs in future in other parts of Indonesia too. If you’d like to know more about KGCC you can send an email to kgcc@ialf.edu or look at the KGCC pages on the KGRE website: |
KGCC
clubs often ask for suggestions about club activities. Other people ask for advice on how to start an English
language club or about KGCC. In response KGRE has produced a guide for English clubs. It’s called ‘Join
The Club!’ It’s full of ideas about club meetings and activities. There’s also an important
section reminding KGCCs about what they must do to be active members of the KGCC network. We’ll be sending
all KGCCs a copy of this guide soon. We’ll also send you a special handout from time to time called Fun
Club Activities for you to try at meetings. Club members who are English language teachers might like to try
them at school too. We’d love to know what you think of the guide and the activities, especially if you
have any suggestions about how they could be improved to help you better in the future.
Exams are over for another year. How are you and your students feeling about the new listening test? KGRE would like to help teachers prepare students for the final listening tests, but we need to know more about the format. Write to KGRE with the answers to answer these questions:
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How many parts does it have? How many questions are there? (eg. Multiple choice, gap fill, comprehension) What topics are covered? |
If you can provide KGRE with any information about the tests then we can give you hints and tips on ways to prepare
your students during the year. Don’t forget to give your students regular listening practice so they are
more confident using their listening skills.
Free KGRE Materials
Last year 1,500 teachers across Indonesia bought ready to use KGRE Teacher Packages. Do you have a copy? Did
you know that KGRE also produces free compilation CDs? These are two CDs of excerpts from radio shows series
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Teacher Workshops January to June 2007Where are all the invitations from Eastern Indonesia?We’re already half way through the year and the KGRE team has been busy travelling mostly in Sumatra, Java and Lombok. We visited clubs in some of those areas too, met with students and went to other club events in Jogyakarta and Lombok. Have you contacted Ogi about a workshop in your district? Or maybe you would like Cheryl or another member of KGRE to visit a club event. We are willing to travel anywhere in Indonesia but you must invite us for a workshop, club get-together or special English event.
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Teacher's e-Newsletter
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and
54, a compilation of celebrity interviews, an Idioms Inggris compilation and a ‘Different Pond Different
Fish’ compilation. Soon there will also be a compilation of the popular Quick Fix segment. Accompanying
each CD is a tapescript and ideas to make your own activities. These could be simple gapfill or jumbled words.
There is no activity book with the compilation CDs. The important thing is students are given a range of topics
and a range of voices to practise their listening. These compilations are all free. If you would like a copy
of a particular CD please write to KGRE, tell us which one you would like and how you will use them in the classroom.
Thank
you for the huge response received from teachers after the first KGRE e-Newsletter. If you would like a copy
of the next e-Newsletter make sure that KGRE has your current email address.
To
cover the increased cost of production and courier, the new price for the SMA Package or SMP Package is Rp 125,000
(for either cassettes or CD) and if you want to buy both, the price is Rp 150,000. Please send your money by
pos wesel or bank transfer to KGRE:
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Tora Sudiro is a familiar face on movie screens and televisions all over Indonesia. Kevin met Tora in a Japanese restaurant at Pondok Indah Mall in March along with Tora’s manager, Pak Didik. They were there having dinner with Tora’s parents. Tora was quite happy to sit down and talk to KGRE about his life and career. Did you know that Tora actually lived in England, New Zealand and Australia back in the late 90s? He finished school in Jakarta in 1992 and then went overseas. He was a student and had little money but one thing is for sure, he loved and remembers those cultural experiences. He wanted to study English in England for example but ended up living in a homestay with an Italian ‘mother’. He told KGRE he learnt more Italian than English! Kevin asked Tora about culture for this magazine and although he was sort of joking, Tora said that ‘food culture’ is of great interest to him. According to Tora there are only two types of food – delicious and very delicious. Sundanese food is his favourite at the moment. About EnglishIt is interesting because Tora said he lost a lot of his English language skills when he moved to Perth after living in England and New Zealand. How is that possible? Tora says that Perth was sort of a ‘little Indonesia’ – there are so many Indonesians there and so Tora spoke more Indonesian than English. As we say at KGRE, the more often you use English, the better your English becomes. Tora didn’t do that in Perth. Tora’s advice for you is this – making mistakes in English is good and you learn more. If you don’t speak then maybe you won’t learn anything new.
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Tora wants smart comedy for Extravaganza and not slapstick or ‘clown type’ comedy. He has enjoyed playing interesting characters though and some of his characters have included being a tree, a cash register, a map, a king, a chicken, an ATM machine and a housewife. He laughed out loud as he told KGRE that Al Pacino has never played roles like those! By the way, acting on Extravaganza isn’t as easy as it may seem. It involves a lot of hard work and a lot of skill.
One of Tora’s great interests is the future of the Indonesian film industry. Bowo, a KGRE presenter from Banyuwangi, asked Tora how to best improve the film industry. Tora’s response, 'Heh Bowo, as you know the old movies they have good stories but very poor in pictures. But nowadays we have a very good picture but very poor in story. If we can mix both the old and the new film I think we have very very good film.'
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Send the answer to this simple
question about Tora Sudiro. What aspect of culture does Tora enjoy the most? Send your answer by SMS to
081 2387 0479 before July 31st together with your name and the name of your province. Ten lucky winners
will receive a...
Extravaganza
show Ikhsan. Ikhsan told KGRE that he became interested in producing programs after being in a team which
made a documentary while he was studying. KGRE asked him where Extravaganza gets all their ideas from for
the show and he explained that there was a team of writers who regularly brainstorm. They use old stories
and legends sometimes with a modern twist and also write sketches around some current events. They try to
steer clear (menjauh dari) of politics and religion as they want to appeal to a wide audience. KGRE asked
him if any one sketch has ever created a fuss or been controversial. He said not really although once they
did a sketch about dentists and after the show a real dentist contacted them and said life in a dental surgery
wasn’t really like that and explained what they should have shown.
Do you
watch Extravaganza? It is a popular show in Indonesia and one of the subjects the show often comments on is Indonesia
culture, and behaviour. The program presents often very funny skits, or short comedy sketches/performances, based
around an aspect of life and culture in Indonesia. Some popular topics have included buying from kaki limas,
corruption and popular music.
Kevin asked
Tora questions sent in by some KGRE-ites. Ririn, one of KGRE’s Champion s from Kediri in East Java asked
Tora about his movie career and the most important film he has made as an actor. Tora’s response was ‘Arisan’.
Laura, a 17 year old friend of KGRE asked Tora about that controversial kiss in the movie ‘Arisan’.
She wanted to know the reaction of people watching the movie. He says it was a very typical response – people
thought he was gay. Tora isn’t worried about that and he says that Indonesian audiences actually enjoyed
the film. The reaction was not negative and there weren’t calls for the movie to be banned. Why did he
choose such a character? Tora says it was a good role
– a challenge in fact! Something new!
cultural
heritage and customs. It is the same in the Philippines. Christian will be featured on KGRE radio soon and
in the September magazine when he talks to KGRE about his career, music AND the environment.
Pictures can cross cultures
Fire drill or fire alarm?
I arrived in Canberra and checked into City Walk Hotel on Thursday afternoon at about 5.30pm. I was making notes
for my presentation for AusAID the following day when suddenly a loud siren started blaring. I jumped off my
chair, not knowing what the siren was for, then I heard something like
‘…evacuate building through the nearest exit door…’ I could
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Adelaide in KalimantanAdelaide Wooster is a Consul at the Australian Consulate in Bali. She speaks Indonesian and is familiar with Indonesian culture these days but it was a different story when she was a participant on the Australia Indonesian Youth Exchange Project (AIYEP).
An office or a shop?In Indonesia we can easily see the difference between an office and a shop. I was at Circular Quay in Sydney and saw many big signs saying ‘Information for Visitors’. So I went there to get some information about some interesting places I wanted to visit. As I was entering the building I wasn’t quite sure if I had gone to the correct office. It was more like a shop to me with souvenirs, stationery and other stuff. I looked around but only saw one cashier desk and two staff attending customers. I queued and I heard them giving information about transport and places. This shop was also an information centre.
Then I went to the post office. It was located inside a shopping centre and it was also a shop. People were queuing
to send things by post. I saw some people buying things and then posting the parcel immediately. Staff members
are cashiers as well as shop assistants. This is very interesting because there’s nothing like it in Indonesia.
A tourist information service is always in an office with government officials in it. A post office is always
in one building by itself. I also noticed in Australia that now they
Ogi |
Jango
Paramartha is a cartoonist. He is the Managing Director of BOG-BOG Bali Cartoon Magazine and Chairman of PAKARTI
(Indonesian Cartoonist Association). He lives in Bali but travels to other parts of Indonesia and has also spent
time in Australia. His work is often exhibited in Indonesia and Australia. Future cartoon exhibitions are planned
for Bali, Jakarta and Darwin.
The back cover
of each BOG-BOG magazine is a cartoon story by Jango on the important issue of HIV AIDS and its effect on Indonesian
society. He also uses cartoons to comments on cultural issues. He believes that humour and culture are very effective
in communicating important messages. He really likes to depict Balinese culture in his cartoons, but just about
anybody will understand the message he’s sending.
only
think, ‘What? Is it a fire? This can’t be true. This must be a fire drill.’ But then the siren
kept on blaring and I heard the announcement again and again and I started to tremble. ‘What should I do?
Who should I ring?’ In panic I grabbed my handbag and my mobile phone. Funnily I still remembered to turn
off the TV because I was afraid it would explode as I thought the fire was next door. Luckily I remembered reading
a notice somewhere: ‘In case of fire do not use the lifts’, but where was the exit door? Where were
the other people? Then I saw the green exit sign and I was half running, half walking down the stairs. When I
was finally outside there were many people outside already. I asked people what was happening but no one knew.
I didn’t see any fire from outside and that made me a bit calmer. Five minutes later the hotel staff told
us, ‘It’s okay, you can go back to your rooms. Someone was smoking on the ground floor.’ Oh,
I felt relieved but still in disbelief that cigarette smoke could set off the fire alarm. What a sensitive alarm,
I thought. What a lesson learned!
'I
went to live in a little village in Central Kalimantan. When I first arrived I was in absolute shock. First,
I didn’t understand a word that anyone was saying. Even though I’d studied Indonesian for a year
it wasn’t enough and it turned out everyone was speaking in a local dialect. I felt like I was a little
child again because I had to learn to eat, go to the bathroom, how to shower, all in a different way. Even eating
with my hand - I couldn’t do it right when I first arrived. I didn’t know that you had to use your
thumb in a special way to flick the food in. Someone had to tell me how to do that. Someone gave me a sarong
and said ‘Go and have a shower’. I didn’t know what to do. I’m lucky I had a friend who
could explain everything and show me exactly how to act so I didn’t do the wrong thing, otherwise I might
have stood there and not known what to do at all'
always
greet customers with ‘Can I help you?’ instead of
‘Next please.’ and then followed with ‘How are you?’
when a customer approaches them. That is really nice, isn’t it?
Winner of KGRE Writing Competition 2007
Is it important to learn about local culture these days?
The winner is Jade Nugrahaningtyas L. from SMA Negeri 1 Boyolangu, Tulungagung, East Java. Congratulations
Jade!
She will be travelling to Bali in late October and join the KGRE Bali 10th anniversary BBQ dinner. Here is part
of her story.
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Learning local culture is crucial. Although we live in modern the era, learning local culture is still needed especially for Indonesia teenagers. There are reasons for this. First, learning local culture can enrich national culture. National cultures are derived from many local cultures. If teenagers know their culture, for instance for me, the 'Ngremo Dance' and they practise it, they will keep the cultures alive. So everybody knows that 'Ngremo dance' is one part of local culture. 'Ngremo Dance' can also be added on the list of national culture. Secondly learning about local culture can enhance our knowledge about all culture. We should acquire many knowledges not only about the latest technologies but also about culture....
http://www.kangguru.org/kgrestories.htm
KGRE Consultative Group
The staff at KGRE is always open to suggestions about how to improve the services offered by KGRE. Your feedback
is always appreciated so be sure to contact us and let KGRE know your ideas and suggestions, okay? The KGRE
Consultative Group has also been set up to assist with this improvement process. The members of this group include
two KGRE Champions, five teaching staff from IALF Bali, KGRE staff plus Geoff Crewes, CEO of IALF in Indonesia.
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The runners-ups for 2007 are :
Jack and Nada
On November 12th, 2004, Jack and Nada began their ‘Talk To Me’
radio program on RRI Mataram. It has become a very successful program in Lombok. At a Listeners' Meeting on Jack and Nada were members of the KGRE English Language Interactive Presenters' Network, along with Fadel from RRI Mataram. This network of twenty volunteer radio presenters have their own interactive radio programs on radio stations in places such as Palu, Kediri, Banyuwangi, Padang and Jayapura. If you know of an English language interactive radio presenter in your area who would like to join the KGRE English Language Interactive Presenters' Network, please ask them to contact Kevin at KGRE – kdalton@ialf.edu
KGRE can definitely help interactive radio presenters –
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All winners of Task Activities - March 2007 - will be announced on the KGRE website in June 2007.
http://www.kangguru.org/kgrecompetitionwinners.htm |
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The
first meeting was held on April 21stand as a result of that day of discussion, you will surely begin to notice
improvements on KGRE radio, in the magazines and on the website. Special thanks to KGRE Champions, Keyko and
Fadel, for joining that meeting and for the input they brought with them from their KGCC language club members.
Great news
from KGRE – if you want to register for a KGRE magazine you can do it NOW by SMS - 081 2387 0479. Write
75 words of information about YOU. Tell us about your life, your hobbies, your family – whatever really
BUT tell us some interesting stuff, okay? Be sure to include your full name and complete address in your SMS.
April
29th, around 150 listeners met at RRI Mataram for a farewell party for Jack and Nada. Sad to say, they left Indonesia
in May. Luckily a young Aussie has taken over the show. Violet Rish, an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development,
began working with Jack and Nada before they left RRI Mataram. Good luck to Jack and Nada for the future and
special thanks to them both for their enthusiasm and interest in KGRE. Thanks for volunteering guys!
KGRE
Latest News - Access the KGRE website and see what all the latest News is at KGRE. Log onto the site
at least once a week, okay? And don’t forget the FORUM Page too – a great way to practice your English
and make friends at the same time.
Ship for South East Asian Youth Program
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When he was in junior high school he realized that learning English was the ‘key to everything’. Understanding his own country’s culture was also to be instrumental in his future successes. He was keen. In SMP he wrote away to Radio Australia and asked for free materials. He was sent books which he studied night and day. He was also passionate learning about Indonesian and of course Balinese history and culture. Marjaya Wistawan really enjoyed learning more and more about both subjects. Marjaya aimed high and it was in his teenage years that things started to happen for him. His dreams were beginning to happen. It has to be noted here that Marjaya was VERY active in school activities and extra-curricular activities. He was not content to be just an ordinary student. He had to be more than that. As a high school student at SMA Class 2, he went to Melbourne in Australia as an exchange student. While there he told everyone he met about Indonesian language and especially Indonesian culture. Then just a few years later, while he was attending the Bali Tourism School (BPLP), he joined several hundred other ASEAN youth for the trip of a lifetime. The group traveled by cruise liner, the ‘Nippon Maru’ visiting all ASEAN countries for 6 months exchanging culture and friendship. Marjaya was one of twenty five Indonesians on the tour. He was chosen to represent the youth of Bali.
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Here is Marjaya’s view on the importance of the English language and Indonesia culture. 'Understanding culture first, you have to have to be strong, love your own culture because that's the beginning of our pride of as as nation. And after that you’re understanding other culture which is just like you feed your mind with a lot of those. Culture is just like a great thing. I mean it’s a base of everything.' Marjaya's Career Tips
Marjaya (far right) on board ship with fellow participants.
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Marjaya’s
career has included working in India and Indonesia for many years with the Oberoi Hotel group. He then joined
the Grand Hyatt in Bali as Front Office Manager. Two of his final positions were with the Grand Hyatt Jakarta
and with the Intercontinental group of hotels. Marjaya strongly maintains that his knowledge of different cultures,
especially in the Asian region,helped enormously with the success he had in the hospitality/hotel industry. Now
Marjaya owns a fascinating shop in Ubud dealing with cultural artifacts, as has his family since the 1920s in
Klungkung. The shop is called Kusia.One of the major projects that Marjaya has been involved in recently was
the refurbishment of the Tampak Siring Palace for the Indonesian government a few years ago.
Have
you heard of the Darmasiswa? It is a scholarship program offered to foreign students. Successful applicants
come to Indonesia to study Indonesian language, arts, music and crafts at universities and colleges participating
in the program. The main purpose of the Darmasiswa program is to arouse and foster interest in the language
and culture of Indonesia. It has also been designed to reciprocate scholarship programs provided by other
countries for Indonesian citizens and provide stronger cultural links with these nations. Isn't this a great
idea?
Culture and the Future
Culture and the FUTURE. As you already know from past magazines, the back page of each edition is about the future. The 2007 KGRE Writing Competition was about culture and the question asked if people think it is important to teach local culture. Many, many of the wonderful essays sent to KGRE talked about how learning and understanding about our own culture is really important for the future of Indonesia. Here are some extracts from some of the hundreds of entries received.
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… We are the young generation and later we will become the governance, education and development in our
country. So that culture of an area is not swallowed over time we have to try to study it…so that it is
everlasting and …don't just become a memory to future generations or a fable in the future.
Lia Rahmaini …preserving our traditional culture for the future is important. We can get many advantages from it: for example making and playing traditional musical instruments, dancing traditional dances singing traditional songs, reading and writing traditional stories. We can fill our empty time, train and point our skills and as entertainment we can make money from it.
Fitriani Christhien Simbolon If we don't learn about local culture, possibly in the next 20 or 30 years there won't be any local culture any more. … if local culture is lost it will influence national culture, the particular characteristics of a nation. Local culture has been inherited from past generations … and it is priceless.
Murjihan |
The local culture is the identity of our country. It is one of the elements of our nation. Without local cultures
our country will not be known so well in the world. Local culture can increase the income of the country (in
the form of foreign currency from tourism) so the wealth of the society will be increased too. That is important
for our future too.
Kholi Indriani
I am very grateful that Javanese is taught in my school and my teacher always uses kromo. She also tells us about local stories like the story of Kabupaten Batang. We love her very much. In order to improve our Javanese, she conducts Javanese speech contests and Javanese wall-magazines in our school. In our school,English and Javanese are both seen on our weekly board program. We have a white board consisting of English vocabularies translated into Javanese. Wow. It's the smart solution to master both vocabulary. We also have our Javanese Day on Fridays and English Day on Saturdays. Everybody must speak the languages on the days. Learning about my own culture is really fun for me and my friends. I will teach my children one day too.
Wika Purwi Ristiani |
I believe that you have heard about orang rimba group. Most of us think that orang rimba group in Sumatra are primitive, uneducated and uncivilized. As a civilized society we must throw away our bad ideas about them. Although they live in the forest they do not feel ignored. Sometimes they help the sick people by their traditional treatment called ‘PESALIH’. Pesalih is a kind of traditional dance. They sing a beautiful song and the dancer can do it in the fire. Wooww …., that's amazing!
Ulfa Khaira
KGRE Note: Ethnic groups are still culturally active in today's world and will hopefully continue for many, many years to come.
…We must be aware that our local culture is interesting. Indonesia is rich with culture. Our motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, different but with one purpose. … We must master our own culture. Imagine if one day a British teacher has to teach us how to play gobak sodor! It would be dreadful!
Dian Puspita Triani |
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