“Indonesian is a language of diplomacy as well as a language of friendship that brings people across nations closer together,” he said at the opening of a BIPA class at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, according to a written statement released here on Wednesday.
One of the BIPA Program’s goals, he explained, is to improve Indonesian language proficiency among language enthusiasts, the Indonesian diaspora, and the international community overseas to allow them to communicate in Indonesian more fluently and confidently.
Second, BIPA classes can strengthen the role of the Indonesian language—recognized as an official language by the UNESCO General Conference—in international diplomacy, he noted.
He said he believes that through literary works, academic publications, and oral traditions such as pantun, the BIPA Program can promote Indonesian as a language that embodies the nation’s cultural and intellectual identity.
“Anyone who can speak Indonesian can also communicate with at least the people of five other countries besides Indonesia, such as Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, as well as parts of Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand,” he informed.
He further said that Indonesian is among the popular languages in Australia and has been taught there since 1986.
Mu’ti expressed the hope that by learning Indonesian through the BIPA program, people around the world will come to better understand the Indonesian nation and its culture.
Indonesian Consul General in Cape Town, Tudiono, informed that each class of the BIPA Program in Cape Town consists of 20–50 participants. There is also a class for children, he added.
The classes, which are conducted online, have participants from South Africa, and even the United Kingdom and Peru.
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Translator: Hana, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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