D

espite being on opposite sides of the globe, Mexico and Indonesia share ethnic, cultural, historical and traditional similarities as captured in a series of breathtaking photographs.

“We wanted to highlight how similar we are despite the distance between us,” Mexican Ambassador to Indonesia Armando G. Alvarez said on Monday evening in Jakarta.

Speaking on the opening of a photography exhibition titled “Saling Menatap” (Gazing into Each Other), or Miradas Cruzadas in Spanish, Armando said the “friendly” bilateral relations enjoyed by Mexico and Indonesia stem from the fact that “we see the world in a similar manner and that we pursue the same goals”.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s director general for American and European affairs, Muhammad Anshor, said the various cultural and daily life similarities were a foundation to increase bilateral ties.

Alvarez noted that the bond was further explored culturally through an artistic lens.

The exhibition, which runs until Thursday, displays 35 photos from two photographers, Desiree Harahap from Indonesia and Marcela Taboada from Mexico.

Desiree spent six months touring the indigenous trails in the areas of Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Jalisco, saying “there must be similarities, so I tried to find them in photography”.

The two photographers only met in the beginning of the project before going their separate ways — Desiree to Mexico and Taboada to Indonesia.

When asked why she took part in the photography project, she said she “took this project because it was unique. Because it wasn’t simply taking any photo. There was a mission in this. ‘How do we create a dialogue through photography?’”

The photos taken by the two artists are composed of daily life moments, which include cultural and religious festivities, architecture and the piercing faces of locals from both countries.

The photo exhibition, which is open to the public and is held at the ministry’s Kantin Diplomasi, aims to find likenesses in a world that is often caught up in differences.

The exhibition is part of a celebration to commemorate the 65th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Mexico and Indonesia.

Both countries signed the Joint Declaration on Opening Diplomatic Relations on April 6, 1953.

Alvarez mentioned political similarities such as both countries “championing subjects like climate change, orderly and safe immigration, respect for [the] human rights of migrants, in favor of nuclear disbarment, in favor of peaceful solutions of internal controversies, in favor of multilateralism” and a host of other issues.

Furthermore, he referenced their bilateral relations in the international arena.

Both countries are involved in the G20, an international forum for the governments and central bank governors, and in MIKTA, a partnership which fosters the relationship between Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.

According to the Indonesian Trade Ministry’s records, trade balance between Indonesia and Mexico remain steady, at about US$1 billion in the past five years.

Trade value dropped to $992 million in 2016 before bouncing back to $1.2 billion in 2017.

The opening ceremony was attended by the ministry’s officials and employees, businesspeople and ambassadors posted in Jakarta, such as those from Argentina, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, the ministry said on its website.

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.