IDM and Gema Rasa Collaborate to Preserve Javanese Culture through Diaspora in the Netherlands

Efforts to preserve Javanese culture can also be an important part of supporting the promotion of traditional Indonesian culture, especially abroad. Javanese culture, rich in tradition, art, and noble values, has global appeal and can be introduced to the world in various ways abroad. One of them is through workshops given to the diaspora in the Netherlands.

This initiative is presented by PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko or InJourney Destination Management in collaboration with Stichting Gema Rasa, a Javanese cultural preservation organization with diaspora members based in the Netherlands. This was ratified by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration in performing arts and promotion of Javanese culture in the Netherlands.

IDM Commercial Director Hetty Herawati together with Stichting Gema Rasa Chairman Ference Wongsokario Nojotaroeno signed an MoU for collaboration in performing arts and promotion of Javanese culture, at Rama Shinta Garden Resto, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Wednesday (21/5/2025). This collaboration is part of a strategic effort to strengthen Indonesian traditional arts diplomacy and expand the network for preserving traditional arts through the involvement of diaspora communities, especially in the Netherlands.

"We have discussed potential collaborations. We welcome the collaboration with Gema Rasa, which has consistently promoted Javanese culture in Europe. This collaboration is expected to present quality art performances and expand the reach of Indonesian cultural preservation programs to the global level," explained Hetty Herawati.

Chairman of Stichting Gema Rasa Ference Wongsokario Nojotaroeno expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration that will provide strengthening both in substance and strategy in organizing various Javanese traditional arts and culture programs targeting the international community, especially in the Netherlands.

"Through this collaboration, we hope to present more educational programs and art performances that promote Javanese cultural values ​​to the Dutch and European public at large," he explained.

This collaboration encompasses the commitment of both parties to explore cooperation that includes talent development by organizing workshops, traditional arts training for the young generation of the diaspora. In addition, a performing arts development program is carried out by holding cross-country art performances that bring together artists from Indonesia and the Netherlands.

This collaboration also presents a cultural education program by compiling Javanese cultural learning modules that can be used in diaspora community schools and European cultural institutions. Joint promotional efforts are also carried out by participating in international cultural festivals, digital campaigns, and organizing cultural exhibitions collaboratively.

"We also collaborate with Suriname because we were born there, because our ancestors came from Java to Suriname. This collaboration is expected to not only support cultural preservation, but also strengthen diplomatic relations through an inclusive cultural approach," Ference continued.

Stichting Gema Rasa is a non-profit foundation that preserves the richness of Javanese culture through traditional performing arts in the form of gamelan and classical Javanese dance. Its members are fourth-generation Javanese who migrated from Java to Suriname and currently live in the Netherlands.

According to Hetty Herawati, diaspora communities such as Gema Rasa play an important role in maintaining the sustainability of ancestral culture, in this case Javanese culture abroad. Gema Rasa also consistently presents traditional art performances such as classical dance, wayang orang, and karawitan to the European public, as well as organizing workshops for the general public and young diaspora.

"This is a strategic step in strengthening the position of Javanese culture on the global stage. While we have access to cultural arts resources such as the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan. This combination is expected to support the vision of preserving and introducing Javanese culture in a more integrated way," he continued.

In addition, through this collaborative effort, it is hoped that the young generation of the diaspora will continue to recognize the roots of their original culture. This collaboration is part of the solution through cultural education programs and artist exchanges. The young generation of the diaspora can reconnect with their cultural identity, not only as a heritage, but as a life practice that continues to inspire.

“Preserving traditional arts and culture is a collaboration across generations and borders. Cultural traces that have been maintained become a way of life that unites and reconnects us to our homeland. These traces are what we are trying to maintain through this collaboration. Hopefully, the young generation of the diaspora there will continue to love their ancestral culture by continuing to preserve it,” concluded Hetty Herawati.