In their campaign, the three women will get help from an upcoming film, Bali: Beats of Paradise, scheduled for release in May 2017.

The film will not only be distributed to the public but also be part of class curricula taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle in the 2017-2018 academic year.

“I am very pleased to have the movie Bali: Beats of Paradise as a teaching resource for the language and culture [of Indonesia] next semester,” Juliana, who teaches the Indonesian language and culture at UCLA, was quoted as saying in a release made available to The Jakarta Post.

The film was produced and directed by Indonesian filmmaker Livi Zheng and the Consulate General of Indonesia in Los Angeles.

“I hope students can see the diversity, richness and biodiversity of Indonesia and develop knowledge and their own perspective about Indonesia,” said Juliana.

Juliana found her passion of teaching while completing her master’s degree in the US. She currently holds a PhD in applied linguistics from UCLA.

In collaboration with Jolanda Pandin (Cornell University) and Indriyo Sukmono (Yale University), she helped organize an annual Indonesian debate contest for students studying the Indonesian language in the US.

Read also: What it means to be a modern-day Kartini

Juliana also works with communities and students in organizing events, such as Indonesian Cultural Day, when Indonesian music and dance is performed on stage and Indonesian delicacies are served. The event also includes Indonesian film screenings and outreach programs, such as the introduction of traditional gamelan music to junior high school students in Los Angeles.

Livi has been a guest lecturer and speaker at over 20 universities, including the University of Southern California (USC), the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles City College and the Communication University of China.

Like Kartini, Livi’s fighting spirit is strong, especially her determination to pursue her dream of becoming a film director in Hollywood despite knowing that the competition there is tough, especially for female directors.

Livi recalled that at the beginning of her career, her proposal was rejected 32 times, but she did not give up until her first film,

Brush with Danger, was produced and hit theaters. Livi, who holds a master’s degree in film production from USC, said she always tried to include Indonesian elements in her films.

Desiana has a master’s degree in international affairs, even though she has been a language teacher since 1993.

Among the creative efforts made by Indonesian lecturers at UW to introduce Indonesian culture to students and communities across America include Desiana’s move of introducing various Indonesian foods at supermarkets as well as holding Indonesian-themed cooking events.

Read also: Custom clutches made by Indonesian businesswoman favored in US

Desiana, who considers Kartini as her source of inspiration, said that during classes, beyond just teaching the Indonesian language, she also inserted knowledge of the country’s culture, such as through video footage on wayang and batik. Her students range from undergraduates to master’s students as well as professors and the public.

“Film is a highly effective and interesting media outlet in which to introduce culture. There are many things that can be observed and studied through film other than the story itself, so when I heard the movie Bali: Beats of Paradise was being produced, I was very interested to see the output and show it in my class as part of cultural knowledge material,” Desiana said, adding that she believed anyone could become a cultural ambassador to Indonesia regardless of where they lived.

A Bali: Beats of Paradise concert event is scheduled to be held on May 4 in Los Angeles. In addition to officials, consuls and diplomats from various countries, Don Hall, Governor of the Motion Picture Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (OSCARS), is scheduled to attend this event with his family.

Bali: Beats of Paradise is a gamelan-themed film that features Balinese dance. I Nyoman Wenten, a longtime faculty member of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, contributed to the film.

Livi said Wenten is one of Bali’s most accomplished and versatile dancer-musicians.

“He is known not only for his work in traditional Indonesian music and dance, but also for his creative east-west fusion of composition and performance work,” she said.

Wenten, a traditionally trained Balinese musician, actor and dancer, was born to a family of musicians and artists of several generations. His earliest studies were with his grandfather, who was a master puppeteer, musician and dancer.

He complemented his traditional training with formal studies, graduating from Bali’s Conservatory of Music, then later from the National Music and Dance Academy in Yogyakarta, Java. He also holds a master’s degree from CalArts and a doctorate in ethnomusicology from UCLA.

Livi said Wenten, who started the gamelan program at UC Berkeley, has also performed in Walt Disney Concert Hall. Indonesian Consul General in Los Angeles Umar Hadi, who was recently sworn in as the Ambassador of Indonesia in Seoul, South Korea, said Indonesian people in Los Angeles and its surroundings represent Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [Unity in Diversity]. “The diversity and richness of the culture is the country’s unity foundation; therefore, we must maintain and strengthen it,” he said.

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

Popular

Is Indonesia really ready to embrace dual citizenship?

Palm oil plantation-less mills lead to increase deforestation

Prabowo inaugurates construction of Majapahit palace replica