In Central Java, the Solo Imlek Festival or Chinese New Year promotes "unity in diversity"
Unlike the city of Semarang, the Solo Imlek Festival in Surakarta has not sparked criticism from radical Muslim groups. It includes dance performances, food stands, fashion shows and exhibits.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – For the past three years, the city of Surakarta has hosted celebrations of the Solo Imlek Festival, held a few days before Imlek, the Indonesian nickname given to Chinese Lunar New Year.
The festival promotes the spirit of Bhinneka Tungga Ika, which means "unity in diversity", to boost national the unity in the Republic of Indonesia. The festival’s strong message encourages Indonesian society to put aside radicalism and support integration.
From 17 January to 11 February, the Solo Imlek Festival offers residents and foreigners a great variety of attractions such as dance performances, blood donation drives, food stands, fashion shows, exhibits of Chinese calligraphy and more.
Compared to the Imlek Festival in the city of Semarang, also known as the ‘pork festival’, the festival in Surakarta has not been threatened by any radical group.
The event is not only considered a celebration of the Lunar New Year, but to Indonesia’s Chinese community, it represents a strong message of love for the country together with the sharing of the values of unity in diversity promoted by the event.
This is important in a country where the relationship between majority Indonesians and ethnic Chinese has not always been peaceful.
Dewi Susilo Budiharjo – a former model turned interfaith activist – told AsiaNews that the Solo Imlek festival would not have been possible without radical political changes undertaken by the late former Indonesian president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
These changes began on 16 September 1998, when then President BJ Habibie – in power before Aburrahman Wahid took office – issued a presidential decree in favour of equal treatment in government institutions and services for all Indonesians.
The decree abolished and sanctioned all forms of racial discrimination, including the word pribumi, which means "sons of the land" (indigenous Indonesians). Habibie’s decisions were the first step towards changing Indonesia’s political climate.
During his tenure, President Aburrahman Wahid abolished the legal bases of racial discrimination against Indonesians of Chinese descent, revoking laws that prohibited the Chinese from maintaining their customs and traditions, such as dances, languages and traditions.
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