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RI, north African old allies revitalize friendship
Pandaya , The Jakarta Post | Wed, 07/23/2008 10:53 AM | Lifestyle
Lenggang Nyai, a Jakarta traditional dance, was one of ethnic dances performed during the cultural shows in Algeria and Tunisia. (JP/Pandaya)
"From Indonesia?" a friendly road-side trader addressed us -- a group of Indonesian visitors strolling leisurely around Algiers city park -- as he grabbed my arm, startling me to the core.
He correctly guessed our nationality from the "Visit Indonesia 2008" slogans emblazoned on our T-shirts, damp with sweat from the scorching African afternoon heat.
"Muslim?" asked Mahmoud, later introducing himself and firing the standard question.
Mahmoud's way of greeting us is typical. People in the streets of Algeria and Tunisia generalize Indonesians as Muslim and therefore call us habibi, or "dear friend".
Traditionally, Algeria and Tunisia have considered Indonesia their "elder brother", thanks to Indonesia's anti-colonial foreign policy under founding president Sukarno's rule. For the Africans knowledgeable in history, Sukarno is still alive in their collective memories.
No wonder you often hear your new acquaintances utter, "Indonesia? Oh, Sukarno, Bandung...". Algerians' memories of Sukarno are so sweet that Megawati Soekarnoputri, the founding president's eldest daughter and Indonesia's fifth president, is accorded state protocol whenever she visits the country, as if she were Indonesia's current president.
Indonesian diplomats told us how a group of Indonesian lawmakers received a red-carpet welcome during their recent trip to Algiers, with the hosts providing a car for each of them to use while visiting.
Algerians delight in recalling one eventful day before Algeria gained its independence in 1962, when an Indonesian Navy ship en route from the former USSR stopped and shared its load of weapons with Algerians who were fighting the French army. Some of the remaining weapons are still stored at the Mujahidin Museum in Algiers, according to an official at the city's military museum.
The most vividly recalled historical event for Algerians was when Indonesia hosted the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955 as part of founding president Sukarno's diplomatic offensive to win a reputation as a champion of independence among colonized countries.
Algeria sent observers to the conference before it opened its FLN representative office in Jakarta.
The historical friendship between Indonesia and the northern African Arab states began at a nondescript house at Jl. Tosari 50, Central Jakarta, where freedom fighters from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco would gather to make plans.
Lakhdar Brahimi, Muhammad Ben Yahya, Muhammad Yazid and Hussein Ait Ahmad from Algeria; Taieb Slim and Tahar Amira from Tunisia; and Allal Fazzi of Morocco were important figures who were regular visitors at the house.
After independence, Brahimi became Algerian ambassador to Egypt and then London. Yahya became minister of finance and subsequently foreign minister. Yazid was a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN) and ambassador to Beirut.
The house, a monument to history in the making, was later acquired by an Indonesian veteran freedom fighter named Hamid Algadri in the 1960s.
Algerian leaders vividly remember how Indonesia, which became independent from the Dutch in 1945, smuggled from Tunisia equipment and its best air force officers to train Algerian fighters.
"The diplomatic, military and logistical help won Indonesia respect and a special place in the hearts of the Algerian people," Indonesian Ambassador to Algiers Yuli Mumpuni says.
Islam, which is embraced by the majority of Indonesia's population as well as Arabic countries, has become the soul of their relations. Many Algerians have stories about their encounters with their Indonesian brothers as they perform the haj pilgrimage in Mecca.
Above all, Indonesia is seen as a Muslim country worthy of admiration for its fledgling democracy and fast-growing economy.
Indonesia believes all the historical and emotional ties with its African "old friends" should be revitalized to strengthen their common ground in international forums.
"Such collective memories will be waning in the course of time as generations change," says Danan Jaya Axioma, deputy director for bilateral cooperation at the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism.
It is against this backdrop that Indonesia and its northern African allies, including Egypt, have been promoting cultural and educational cooperation. Cultural shows and student exchange programs have been ongoing in recent years.
In 2006, a Tunisia art mission held a visual art exhibition in Jakarta, which attracted much interest from local art enthusiasts.
But the cultural cooperation with Algeria is still insignificant, as Yuli acknowledges, and both countries have yet to work on specific areas of focus.
To break the ice, Indonesia's culture and tourism ministry last month sponsored a two-week cultural show in Algeria and Tunisia, featuring traditional dance and music.
"Our goal is to showcase Indonesia's cultural diversity," says choreographer Haryati Abelam who led the art mission.
In education, Indonesian colleges have had exchange programs with Emir Abdel Kadir Islamic University in Algeria's cultural capital of Constantine City, some eight hours drive to the east of Algiers.
The university employs several Indonesian professors and will soon open an Indonesian language program.
"We consider the Indonesian language important to learn in the Islamic world," says rector Pr. A. Boukhelkhal.
So, in the coming year, when the Algerian and Indonesian meet they can laugh together as they practice their newly acquired language skills.
