Students from around the world showed interest in the culture of Indonesia, at the Foreign Ministry’s Pancasila Building in Jakarta attending the launch of the Fellowship 2010 in Indonesia Arts and Culture.
From countries as diverse as China, Tonga, Austria, South Africa and Russia, awarded 52 grants in 29 countries conducted in their national costumes at the official opening ceremony of the program, which has now been running for eight consecutive years.
After an orientation period of a week in Jakarta, students will spend three months in various cultural centers throughout the archipelago, such as Bandung, Solo and Yogyakarta to learn about Indonesia`s art, language and culture.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa expressed his hope for a better international diplomacy through significant intercultural contact, promoting the appreciation and enrichment of the culture of Indonesia through cultural exchange.
In welcoming the students to Indonesia, Marty emphasized the values of multiculturalism, democracy and the ability to combine tradition with modernity as the defining features of the form ” Indonesian way of life.”
The program will give 12 international scholarship awardees the opportunity to spend two months studying art in Indonesia, expressing their experience through painting.