"We see that the chairmanship of ASEAN Indonesia 2023 belongs to all Indonesian people," said Natya, a member of the organizing committee for the parade,which was held on the sidelines of the Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (AFMGM) here on Wednesday.
Indonesia is the chair of ASEAN this year. In the run-up to the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5–7, 2023, a number of meetings have been held, including the AFMGM.
The ASEAN Festival Parade was held as part of the 2023 ASEAN Festival event, which is being held in conjunction with AFMGM to reach a wider community.
"So, the ASEAN Festival is being held by Bank Indonesia to give the public an opportunity to participate in the joy of Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship," said Natya.
As part of the parade, dances from 11 ASEAN countries, including Dayak, Betawi, and Balinese dances, were performed in front of the Indonesian art and culture booth.
Students from around 15 schools who were invited to compete at the ASEAN Festival also watched the dance performances.
The purpose of the parade was to introduce the public to regional arts and culture and make them more familiar with them.
"We wanted to introduce the cultures of ASEAN countries in a way that can be accepted by anyone," said Natya.
According to her, the visual art of dance is more easily enjoyed by the public. Therefore, dance performances were shown to students to increase their knowledge.
"So, hopefully, this can increase the enthusiasm of the people who come here," she added.
By organizing the parade and helping people learn about ASEAN cultures, Bank Indonesia also hoped to make everyone feel like a part of Indonesia's leadership of the bloc.
The students who attended the parade said they were happy to watch dance performances from ASEAN countries.
"I am very happy, it feels great," said Rasyid, a grade 5 student from Central Jakarta 08 Elementary School.
Winsa and Maestri, Grade 6 elementary school students from the same school, shared the same opinion. They attended the 2023 ASEAN Festival to take part in a drawing competition.
They said they were happy to learn about art and culture in the region after participating in the event.
"I know more and more the names of ASEAN member countries and their culture," said Maestri.
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Reporter: Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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