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Indonesians celebrate independence in diversity

While many millions of eyes were turned to the official commemoration in Nusantara, some communities marked Indonesia's 79th Independence Day with ceremonies highlighting their diverse locales and heritage.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
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Sun, August 18, 2024

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Indonesians celebrate independence in diversity Students of SMP Muhammadiyah 2 Surabaya junior high school raise the Red and White national flag on Aug. 17, 2024, during an Independence Day ceremony aboard a ferry anchored in the Madura Strait, off the coast of East Java. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)

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itizens across the archipelago celebrated the 79th year of Indonesian independence on Saturday, including those who turned to creative ways to mark the occasion, even as the spotlight shone on the first Independence Day ceremony in Nusantara, East Kalimantan.

In Jakarta, vocalist Imela “Imel” Soetman of pop band Ten 2 Five performed the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” (Indonesia the great) during an underwater flag raising ceremony at the Jakarta Aquarium and Safari in Grogol, West Jakarta.

Despite the challenging environment and occasional interruptions by hundreds of the aquarium’s marine denizens, Imel said the underwater performance, her first, was “like a dream”, Antara reported.

In West Nusa Tenggara, a village in West Lombok marked the national holiday by celebrating members from its disabled community as flag bearers in its flag raising ceremony.

With a population of around 5,000 people, Taman Ayu village counts a little under a hundred people with disabilities among its residents.

A man using a wheelchair takes part in a flag raising ceremony on Aug. 17, 2024 to mark the 79th anniversary of Indonesian independence at the Taman Ayu village administration building in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
A man using a wheelchair takes part in a flag raising ceremony on Aug. 17, 2024 to mark the 79th anniversary of Indonesian independence at the Taman Ayu village administration building in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. (Antara/Dhimas Budi Pratama)

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Muhidin, head of the Taman Ayu Disability Forum, expressed his joy and pride for having the chance to take part in the ceremony. He added that the forum’s flag bearers had prepared by rehearsing every afternoon for the five days leading up to the big day.

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