Founded in 2016, Indonesian Cultural House is a manifestation of the close cultural ties between Kazakhstan and Indonesia and serves as a focal point of Indonesian culture in Nur-Sultan.

The Center is equipped with exhibition hall, library, kitchen for cooking class, classrooms for dance, music and language. Cultural House has been engaged in various activities, including screening Indonesian films, organizing performances of Indonesian music and dance groups, holding the classes of Indonesian language.

As Ms. Rosdiana Murtiningsih, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia noted, their country is very diverse.

“It is a country with rich culture and natural resources, so you can find a lot of things there. People are very friendly and kind. The sun shines all year long. If there is -30 degrees in winter in Kazakhstan, we have +30 in Indonesia. The national cuisine is delicious and offer a lot of dishes that will attract Kazakhstanis”.

Ms. Murtiningsih mentioned that Indonesia is a perfect place for shopping with its astonishing and attractive products.

“You can find everything as our country offers a wide range of services. There are options both for budget and luxury travel. Going to Indonesia is quite accessible, however, there is no direct flight between Kazakhstan and Indonesia. If you want to go to Indonesia, you can go by Almaty-Kuala-Lumpur-Jakarta or Tashkent-Jakarta flights. You don’t need visa for 30 days to visit Indonesia, it is also an advantage for tourists.”

The Constitution of Indonesia recognizes 6 religions – Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian. Indonesia is not an Islamic country, however, it has a Muslim-majority population.

“Bali is a very special and unique place. If you go to Bali you will have different experience rather than in other parts of Indonesia. There are a lot of festivals related to religion and culture during the year so it attracts a lot of tourists from other countries. Most people in West Papua are Protestants. Despite the diversity of religions, Indonesian people coexist in harmony.

There are iconic landmarks in Indonesia, one of them is Istiqlal Mosque in the center of Jakarta. There is a Catholic Cathedral in front of the mosque. The Cathedral and Istiqlal Mosque are true symbols of harmony and tolerance, because when there’s major events like Idul-Adha, Indonesian people can use parking territory of the cathedral. The same happens when there is Easter or Christmas, people freely can park their cars on the territory of Istiqlal Mosque” the Embassy representative says.

Ms. Murtiningsih also told about wedding ceremonies in Indonesia.

“Indonesians are very social. So when somebody marries, he will invite family members, relatives, classmates and groupmates, colleagues. A wedding is a happy event and we like sharing happiness with each other” Ms. Murtiningsih concluded.

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