Expo 2020 Dubai: Indonesia Pavilion is ‘ready to contribute to make the world a better place’

Dubai: Indonesia has been participating in World Expos since 1964, showcasing its rich ethnicity, cultural diversity as well as its vibrant potential in trade, tourism and investment.

This year, at Expo 2020 Dubai, which is set to open on October 1, Indonesia will dive deep into its past, showcasing its diverse culture while presenting a multi-faceted ecosystem, mirroring its pavilion theme: ‘Creating the Future, from Indonesia to the World’.

Indonesia Pavilion is located at Dubai Expo’s Opportunity District. “Here we tell the story of how our future-ready generations are ready to contribute to make the world a better place,” said pavilion organisers, adding: “Indonesia will showcase its unique cultural heritage and innovative projects.”

Indonesian Pavilion organisers have also hailed Expo 2020 Dubai as the “first world-largest event held offline post pandemic, where every country in the world is coming together to celebrate warm fellowship and reconciliation”.

Reset the world

They added: “The pandemic has a massive impact on our economy and society’s well-being, causing the world’s biggest economic crisis since the Second World War. Today is no time to get our hopes down, our lives can improve when we take chances. Lessons from COVID-19 offer a chance to reset and reshape the world in a more sustainable way.”

“With no exception, Indonesia is here to take part in reforming our society and overcome many global challenges for the people and the planet,” they continued.

‘Diversity, Innovation and Opportunities’

The Indonesian Pavilion will have three main focus themes: Diversity, Innovation and Opportunities. In terms of trade potential, Indonesia will bring the spotlight to it being home to the world’s largest Muslim population. In particular, the country will highlight its halal industry, which has taken a major role in Indonesia’s industrial development – from halal foods to cosmetics.

It is also noteworthy that Indonesia’s halal industry and emerging SMEs (small and medium enterprises) have absorbed nearly 97 per cent of their national workforce and the industry grows immensely in all sectors.

Indonesia will likewise promote its human capital as well as physical and digital infrastructure. “We are an emerging powerhouse committed to accelerating sustainability with focus on infrastructure, digital businesses, and implementation of Industrial 4.0,” they said.

Beyond Bali

Blessed with natural wonders and cultural heritage, Indonesia is a tropical mainstay and a definite must-visit. Organisers, however, say they will be going beyond the magnificent Bali Island as they will showcase five equally-enticing tourist destinations such as Borobudur, Lake Toba, Likupang, Mandalika, and Labuan Bajo.

“Visitors to our pavilion will catch a glimpse of Indonesia’s bewitching attractions, waiting to be discovered at affordable prices. We will share unforgettable journey and interesting stories behind these places,” organisers noted.

Culinary journey

Another must-have experience at the Indonesia Pavilion is the culinary journey. From various street food to haute cuisines, visitors will have many to choose from to satisfy their liking.

It will be a delectable encounter according to the organisers, as they said: “What makes our food unique is there is no such things as culinary schools across Indonesia and the inventors of these dishes are not veterans of professional kitchens, since dishes were all born out of nothing more than curiosity and trial and error.”

All food offered at the Indonesia night market are authentic in taste and quality – from Rendang to Nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice, Ayam sambal, Matah, Sate maranggi, Gulai kambing and more.

What makes dining more exciting is that there will be cultural performances at the Indonesian night market.

‘Indonesia Spice up the World’

Taking the culinary journey a notch higher is ‘Indonesia Spice up the World’, a programme issued by the Indonesian government with the main objective of encouraging Indonesian culinary delights to be present in foreign countries to increase the export value of Indonesian spices to $2 billion (around Dh14.7 billion) and target 4,000 Indonesian restaurants to be placed across the world.

The Indonesian pavilion will also showcase Indonesian handicrafts and exhibit around 300 high-quality, ready-to-export products, including commodities, interiors, textiles, and fashion garments from across the Indonesian archipelago.

Indonesia National Day

Organisers said Indonesia Pavilion “will have a loud grand opening with cultural performances by many participating choirs, music and dance artists across the archipelago with three different performances set in sync together representing each region of Indonesia”.

Indonesia will celebrate its National Day at the Expo on November 4 with festive cultural performances taking place at Al Wasl Plaza.

Weekly themes

Indonesia Pavilion will also have the following weekly themes:

October 1-7 - Biodiversity

October 8-14 - Forest investment programme

October 15-21 - Space and sustainable palm oil

October 22-28 - Making Indonesia 4.0 and Halal industry

October 29-November 4- New tourist destination and coffee industry

November 5-11 - Special Economic Zone and cultural performances

November 12-18 - New development epicentre in Eastern Indonesia

November 19-25 - Blue economy; no more waste benefits

December 3-9 - Indonesia sustainable development hgoals

December 10-16 Merdeka Leaning Programme

December 17-23 Green Finance and Human Resources

December 24-January 6 - Digital Transformation

January 7-13 - Mobility and innovation

January 14-20 - Indonesian global trade

January 21-27 - Transportation

January 28-February 3 - Herbal Medicines - health and wellness

February 4-10 - Pharmaceutical Industry

February 11-17 - Indonesia 2045

February 18-24 - Agriculture

February 25-March 3 - Mining Industry

March 4-10 - SME legislation

March 11-17 - Shariah economy and creative industry

March 25-31 - South Sulawesi spices