By Isle of Wight Observer
There was music, dancing and some wonderful food to enjoy as the Island’s Indonesian Community celebrated its fifth annual Cultural Day at East Cowes Town Hall on Saturday.
The event was attended by the IW Under Sheriff April Newton; IW Deputy Lieutenant Caroline Peel, Deputy Mayor of East Cowes Cllr Karl Love and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the UK, Dr Desra Percaya.
Around 170 guests attended and were entertained by performances of Balinese dances including the tari Jauk Manis, tari Cendrawasih and tari Baris Tunggal; West Sumatra dances, the tari Piring and tati Payung); West Java dance, the tari Jaipong Mojang Periangan; Javanese dance, the tari Beksan Puri Melati and Dayak Kalimantan dance, the tari Gong.
Among the dishes served up were beef rendang, young jackfruit rendang, fried noodles, sweet tempe, vegetables curry with tofu, mixed vegetables with desiccated coconut (urap) and Indonesian crackers served with plain white rice.
The afternoon was completed with some traditional games and line dances, the Jogja Istimewa and Gemu Fa Mi Re (Maumere).
Organiser, Wayan Gunawan, said: “The aim of the event is to showcase Indonesia’s rich and diverse culture to the Isle of Wight’s communities and families. Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, home to over 600 ethnic groups, languages and traditions.
“The Isle of Wight’s Indonesian community is a small group with 14 Indonesian families, around 40 people, living here.”