Day of Indonesian Culture held at the Institute of International Relations

The round table was attended by Vice-Rector for International Affairs Timirkhan Alishev, Director of the International Office Olga Vershinina, and Dean of the Higher School of Eastern Studies Elmira Khabibullina.

The moderator of the meeting was Ramil Yuzmukhametov, Associate Professor of the Department of Arab Studies, Islamic Studies and African and Asian Studies. According to him, the round table recalled the milestones in the development of Russian-Indonesian relations, as well as discussed the prospects of teaching the Indonesian language at KFU – which started in 2017.

“The idea of teaching Indonesian language and studying Indonesia in general in Kazan arose, firstly, on the basis of the fact that Kazan University is already a recognized center of Eastern studies both in Russia and in the world. We have extensive experience in language disciplines and cultures dating back to the 19th century,” Yuzmukhametov said.

Timirkhan Alishev welcomed the participants. Speaking about Indonesian students, he noted that they are not indifferent to the scientific, social and cultural life of the university. High growth rates are shown by the country itself, which, by the way, includes more than 17 thousand islands.

“You can see that the guys are very oriented to study and self-development. Indeed, when you come to Indonesia, especially to Jakarta, you see how actively the city and in general the whole territory of the country is developing. It is an industrial city, where services and various services are developing, and the country shows very high growth rates. Indonesia is still a very democratic country, the population takes part in the life of the country and political decisions,” said the Vice-Rector.

Dr Yuzmukhametov then gave a brief excursion on the history of the partnership between the university and the Asian country.

Dr Alishev, in turn, emphasized that the Republic of Tatarstan is the leader among the regions of the Russian Federation in economic relations and trade turnover with Indonesia. Tatarstan exports honey and halal products to the country. He also expressed hope that the Indonesian delegation will visit the Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum, which will be held in Kazan in May this year.

During the event, Indonesian nationals – Institute of International Relations students Riya Maha Putri and Rifki Kusuma Wardana, made presentations in Russian.

Р. Putri is in her freshman year, but she already speaks Russian with confidence, an achievement noted by the Vice-Rector. In her speech, the young woman told about the country, its unique geographical location, natural attractions, culture, temples, and traditional cuisine. She also drew attention to the fact that the popular island of Bali, with which many people associate the country, is by no means the only one in Indonesia. There are other picturesque resorts and shrines in the country, the student emphasized.

Р. Vardana dedicated the report to the Association of Indonesian Students in Russia Permira. This year it will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Moscow, and the Kazanian association is the third largest in Russia, he said.

“Permira’s mission is to build the intellectual character of Indonesian students in Russia, as well as to strengthen friendships and optimize their roles,” the student shared.

Muhammad Rian Firdaus Wilde, a 3rd year student of the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, was a participant of the round table. Addressing Dr Alishev, he said that about 700 Indonesian citizens study in 40 universities of Russia, including KFU, so Permira hopes to establish close cooperation with Russia, in particular with our university.

The Vice-Rector, in turn, asked what forms of support from the university the association needs and promised to consider vectors of possible cooperation.

At the end, a master class on the basics of the Indonesian language was held by Ramil Yuzmukhametov. After it, each participant was able to introduce themselves, tell about the university and Kazan in Indonesian. In addition, the Associate Professor explained what words have passed into the Russian lexicon from Indonesian, for example.