The Embassy will try to disseminate the message of this cultural asset by undertaking more digital activities with the Libyan community/stakeholdersJakarta (ANTARA) - It feels very nice to record some special things about my humble experiences in a country like Libya.
People may not really know that behind its local characteristics lie many wise messages for social life. One of the special things in Libya is its cultural products.
The products point to the originality of thinking and behavior of the local people, and are appreciative of its environment and social values.
As an Indonesian who has been posted almost three years in Libya, I can say that three years is a very short time to know Libya fully. However, reflecting on some of my experiences during those years, I remembered what the wise man said, “If we want to keep a value attached tightly in our memory, we should write and document it.”
Inspired by the wise words, I began to compile a collection of writings to be published as a book. It is a book that describes all special things to be known and understood not only by us writers but also readers.
Furthermore, the message of the book is directed at readers to encourage them to think further to develop information that they have read into more tangible creative economic activities and industries.
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In line with the above perspective, I started to engage with some Libyan colleagues, one of whom is Hasan Onais, the former chairman of the Libyan Culture Office, and his team (Brother Abdulmotaleb and friends). We began collecting and exchanging data on cultural issues.
They rendered their valuable time to collaborate with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Tripoli in the form of making a joint committee to publish a cultural book that documents Indonesia and Libya's cultural heritage. The committee was formed in 2020 and released a collection of writings titled “Nature and Some Collection of Two Countries' Cultural Heritages,” as seen in the attached photo.
The book is very simple but holds great meaning, at least for the Embassy and the Cultural Office of Libya as it records its observations on the richness of Libya and Indonesia's local heritage. The book is written in Arabic and Indonesian languages.
It is considered the first cultural product resulting from the joint committee; such an undertaking has never been attempted before. It is expected to be another way of enhancing people-to-people contact and cultural relations between two countries.
Indonesia and Libya are well-known as coastal states. Both countries have different climates and geographical situations. Such different situations bring opportunities that can be translated into tangible activities, especially in supporting and empowering people to get actively involved in the creative economy.
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Many potentials can be explored and many issues can present a chance for activating economic activities, while allowing both nations to preserve their culture and environment, which is an integral part of our effort to balance our natural and traditional heritages and also for human interaction.
In bridging the understanding of and preserving this valuable heritage, the Embassy and the Libya Cultural Offices chose this kind of work as an effort towards maintaining the cultural assets that Libya and Indonesia are proud to promote and enhance.
The collaboration has been successful even though carried out amid the constraints of the pandemic, and the project has done well. The book is complete. As the initial step, the book has been released digitally. Readers can peruse it using this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pJ-9nNKV4HJIiE6sv-nd1IhwsfgVuUwZ/view?usp=drivesdk
Realizing this project is only an initial step for further developing more practical activities between the Embassy and related agencies in Libya. The Embassy will try to disseminate the message of this cultural asset by undertaking more digital activities with the Libyan community/stakeholders.
For the past two years, the Embassy has undertaken some digital exchange promotion programs. One of them is a Culinary Program. Directly and indirectly, this program supports the fact that this aspect can create opportunities. One example of this is an Indonesian who returned to Indonesia to successfully open a Libyan food outlet/mini movable restaurant, catering to Indonesian tastes, in West Sumatra Indonesia. The initiator is Brother Alvan Satria Shidiq. The reader can read about his achievement on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bQzACaI6vvcrvVjVZU0YuKsImKhQMBQG/view?usp=drivesdk
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Furthermore, Libyans also have a taste for Indonesian food. This is proven by the Appreciation and Testimony Program broadcast on our national radio, Republik Indonesia (RRI) Voice of Indonesia, which features testimonies from Libyan communities who have lived in Indonesia. Recordings of the program can be accessed on the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y2GGKlXvnV3-DHsP36kKGuNQg5qf16k6/view?usp=drivesdk
Besides the food sector, other areas like painting art are also generating positive signals. Some Libyan painters have actively participated in many cultural events organized by the Indonesian Embassy, such as Mr. Abderrezaq and his wife, Saras Meskawi, and Haajar Tiyari, a Jordanian who resides in Libya. The event can be viewed on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FUjThBkRQ6hiQj9-5oC_p9MiEOK-viwh/view?usp=drivesdk https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L1tFCLHOLX4-uGFpA8vaLyYguG-EArWi/view?usp=drivesdk
For the above activities, the Embassy would like to thank all stakeholders in Libya and Indonesia who have made these events a success. The Embassy hopes that in this year of 2022 and ahead, opportunities shall always be found through our continued collaborative works. For this, the Embassy will always be open to cooperating and bridging communication with related stakeholders in Indonesia to support the creative economy among our two peoples.
*) Moehammad Amar Ma'ruf, Chargé d’Affaires a.i of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Tripoli
*) The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the ANTARA News Agency
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