Great talent in spotlight at Indonesia’s foundation day

Indonesian talent reigned in Dubai on Thursday evening as Consul General Denny Lesmana gave as well an overview of the growth of the Republic of Indonesia – United Arab Emirates bilateral relations in recent years.

Occasion was the commemoration of the foundation of Southeast Asia’s sole G-20 member, 80 years back, and, specifically on August 17, 1945, which The Netherlands colonised since 1619.

Grateful was Lesmana for the presence of his colleagues from the Diplomatic Community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

“Allow me to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Honourable Mr. Ahmad Al Bahri, Head of Protocol and Operations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, for Dubai and the Northern Emirates, for gracing us with his presence as our Guest of Honour. Mr. Al Bahri, your attendance is a testament to the close friendship and strong partnership between Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, and we are truly honoured to have you with us tonight.”

The Diplomatic Reception formally began with the UAE’s “Ishy Bilady” (“Long Live My Nation”) and Indonesia’s “Indonesia Raya’ (“Great Indonesia”) by the All Indonesian Choir.

Among the over 80,000 Indonesians across the seven emirates, many are the third culture whose parents have long considered the host country as their home, the All Indonesian Choir come from some of the 38 regions and provinces of the world’s largest archipelago of 15,708 islands and islets.

They are versatile polyglot recording artist Jundhy Marzuki originally from South Lampung Regency, and Mercy Nathalia Hutagaol and Elviera Mauren Situmorang of the Batak Toba tribe from North Sumatra Province. Athlete Avanishwari Kiara Arshia and violinist Alisha Nainggolan belong to the Dubai-headquartered National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Choir. At age 14, Khalifa Budiarsya, went home with several medals when he represented the UAE at the “World Championship of Performing Arts 2024,” in California where he also produced and recorded his debut single, “Unbreakable.”

They belted a few English pop songs with the D’Lesmana, the band led by the consul general (electric guitar) with his children Muhammad Aldan Arziki and Putri Syahla Almalika (both on the electric guitar and electric piano). Rounding up the family band are drummer Ogki GR whose favourites are the pop, rock and metal genres; and, multi-instrumentalist Leonardo Oloan Sinaga, the designated bassist.

Each sang in either English, Indonesian and Arabic. Nainggolan played the violin for Arshia’s rendition of “What a Wonderful World.”

As Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre head Widy Haryono collaborates with D’ Lesmana and other local and international musicians at community events, the saxophonist accompanied Situmorang for the soulful “That’s What Friends Are For” that brought the audience sing-along who also sang with all the singers for the “Heal The World,” the other pop whereby unity, solidarity, support and hope also reverberate.

From two dance studios in Dubai – Adya Dipta Dance Studio and Banjar Bali Dance Studio – were traditional dances – Kembang Giran (Joyous Flowers) from Bali Province, Diru Diru Nina (Community Prayer for strength, resilience and unity) from Papua Region, Anging Mamiri (Gentle Breeze) from South Sulawesi Province, and Gemu Fa Mi Re (Indonesian Friendship) from East Nusa Tenggara Province.

On the Indonesia-UAE bilateral relations, Lesmana in his speech noted the following – in the past two years: increasing number of Indonesian professionals in diverse fields particularly in Information Technology, oil and gas, and hospitality; and, broadening of socio-cultural exchanges which enrich mutual understanding with 200 Indonesian students pursuing doctoral studies in various universities across the seven emirates.

On commerce, Lesmana highlighted: “By August 2025, Indonesia-UAE trade continued to grow strongly, driven by an increase in manufactured goods despite a decline in oil and gas.”

The most recent development in this area took place during the October 15 to 19 “40th Trade Expo Indonesia” participated in by 135 businessmen from the UAE, the total agreed transactions were valued at $337 million.

This is a boost to the “accelerating” Indonesian economy which, according to the “Southeast Asia Quarterly Economic Review: A Short-Term Spark” published on September 26, 2025 over mckinsey.com, has so far maintained its leadership in terms of gross domestic product since 2023 over its neighbours.