(AseanAll) — "Finland is well-known in Indonesia as the happiest country in the world; unfortunately, not many Finns know about Indonesia," said the Indonesian Ambassador to Finland and Estonia, Ratu Silvy Gayatri, during the Indonesian and Finland Festival (IFF) 2024 at Lasipalatsian Aukio, Helsinki, Finland on Saturday and Sunday, June 15-16,2024.
IFF 2024 is an annual event initiated by the Indonesian Embassy in Helsinki since 2022. The festival aims to introduce the diverse cultures of Indonesia to the Nordic countries, particularly Finland. The festival is an annual pre-summer affair, with Indonesian diaspora in Finland playing a pivotal role as organizer with support by the Indonesian Embassy.
"I am very impressed by the high enthusiasm of the visitors towards the programs we offered throughout the festival," said Ambassador Silvy. She emphasized that cultural promotion missions are still essential, especially as this year marks the special occasion of Indonesia and Finland celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Throughout the two-day festival, long lines of visitors were seen in the Indonesian culinary area, particularly in front of the chicken satay stand, which won the hearts of Helsinki's residents. Besides culinary delights, the majority of visitors crowded the main stage showcasing various traditional Indonesian dances and music. In addition to enjoying the cultural performances, many festival-goers shopped for Indonesian souvenirs and crafts, such as batik fabrics, rattan weavings, necklaces, and other accessories.
IFF 2024 was made even more special by the presence of special guests from the DKI Jakarta Culture Department, North Kalimantan Province, East Kutai Regency, and the City of Tomohon. These teams traveled to Finland to showcase a fusion of traditional and contemporary arts, as well as presenting various handicrafts and promoting the tourism and investment potentials of their respective regions.
In addition to local government representatives, the festival was also supported by a number of Indonesian business representatives, including KRAFTinc (a rattan furniture company) and Coreta (Indonesian textile fashion products).
For the performance, IFF 2024 featured Uyau Moris, a Sape' player (a traditional Dayak guitar) representing the North Kalimantan delegation, as well as a troupe of dancers and musicians from the Jakarta Department of Culture. Moreover, as a symbol of Indonesian-Finnish collaboration, this festival also features Finnish musicians Suvi and Jouni Kotkavuori, performing under the moniker Virsipuu. They bring classic Finnish folk songs to life, playing traditional instruments like the kantele, as well as acoustic guitar and flute.
The cultural promotion goals of IFF 2024 were deemed quite successful, evidenced by the presence of nearly 5,000 visitors over the two days of the festival.
Indonesia and Finland have maintained diplomatic relations since 1954, based on shared values of respect for democracy and sustainability principles. Finland is one of Indonesia's important trading partners in Northern Europe. The trade value between the two countries in 2023 reached US$ 713 million, an increase of 22 percent compared to the data from 2019. The trade value in the first quarter of this year showed a 40 percent increase compared to the same period last year, surpassing pre-pandemic trade levels.
