May has always had historical significance for Indonesia ' and this May also had cultural significance for Indonesians in Havana, Cuba. On May 30, the Indonesian embassy held the Noche Cultural de Indonesia en La Habana (Indonesian Cultural Night in Havana).

At Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, one of Cuba's iconic buildings located at the center of old Havana. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has a reputation for staging national and international art exhibitions and boasts a collection of approximately 50,000 masterpieces.

Around 250 people from the diplomatic community and the Cuban art realm attended the event, including Cuba's minister of culture, Rafael Bernal Alemany, and acclaimed orchestra director, composer and classical guitarist Leo Brouwer, who won the Latin Grammy for his guitar album: The String Quartets and String Trio in 2010.  The venue itself is a medium-sized amphitheater designed not to attract a large audience, but rather to build an intimate, elegant and exclusive ambience. On this occasion, this event introduced Indonesia culture, with the sasando, angklung and tenun ikat taking center stage.

Dance fever: Triana Mulyawati performs the Yapong, a traditional Betawi dance, between the angklung orchestra and the tenun weaving loom.Teiseran Foun Cornelis, Indonesian ambassador to Cuba, officially opened the evening. He said this night was an integral part of the embassy's mission to enhance Cuba's understanding of the world's biggest archipelago.

The Yapong dance ' a Betawi performance ' opened the proceedings. It was performed by Triana Mulyawati, a Havana-based member of the Indonesian Ladies' Association (DWP KBRI Havana). Coached by Ibu Lucia Cornelis, the wife of the ambassador and also the head of the DWP, Triana's energetic and playful movements set the nuance for a fun and enjoyable night.

The sasando, a musical instrument from Rote Island, then took the spotlight for the first time ever in Cuba. Yakob Bullan came to Cuba especially for this event and began the performance by explaining the odd-looking instrument to the audience.

The sasando is built from lontar leaves. Taking the shape of an acoustic guitar, the instrument can be widened or shortened to affect the sound. Its middle section is made from bamboo and wood and 32 guitar strings are used to play melody, rhythm and bass.

This is why the sasando is often regarded as the Indonesian harp. It produces a similar sound to a classical piano and three guitars played simultaneously. Yakob performed four songs: 'Indonesia Tanah Air Beta', 'You Raised Me Up', 'Can't Help Falling in Love' and 'Mai Faliee' (Mama Panggil Kita Pulang). The tranquil sound of the sasando coupled with Yacob's subtle vocal resulted in a fantastic response from the audience. It was the first time that the Sasando had even been seen by some of the Indonesian audience.

'I have heard about the sasando but have never seen one. And it was very good,' Fauzan, an Indonesian student, said.

It was then the turn of angklung to take to the stage. Conducted by Eugenio Silva, a musician and teacher from the Jose White Music Conservatory, Silva's orchestra is the only angklung orchestra in the Caribbean.

The angklung orchestra has 13 members, with one on the bass. With a repertoire of 50 Indonesian, Cuban and international songs, the angklung orchestra performed a carefully selected seven.

Usually, I have chills down my spine when hearing an Indonesian song played at an international event, however, this time as a classical music enthusiast, hearing La Comparza and other titles made me experience the same intense feelings. The performance of Carroza de Fuego (Chariots of Fire) ' a piece performed by many international symphony orchestras, including the acclaimed London Symphonic Orchestra, by local Cuban music students with bamboo instruments was truly remarkable.

The finale was a demonstration of tenun ikat weaving by Alfonsa, the founder of the Women's Weaver Cooperative in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The information provided by Alfonsa caught the attention of the audience when she mentioned that a full-length tenun ikat would need nine months to be completed. As she demonstrated the weaving process with traditional weaving tools ' a heavy square made from wood ' 10 models from the embassy modeled the tenun ikat among the audience.

With its colorful motifs and bold accessories, the models lit up the stage. A Mexican diplomat approached the Indonesian ambassador to request a similar tenun ikat shirt worn by Cornelis. The ladies from the DWP who were all wearing tenun ikat received the same attention.

Overall, the night was a night for Indonesia. It was a celebration of the country's culture and arts
as it was highly appreciated by all who attended. Hearing the audience exit the museo still discussing the performances ' at that moment I was proud to be an Indonesian.

Havana style: Students from the Jose White Music Consevatory's angklung orchestra performed several standards, including the revolutionary song 'Halo-halo Bandung', that were infused with a touch of rumba.