The Raid: Redemption is an Indonesian film like no other. It’s a wildly exciting adrenaline rush of a punch fest that recently reached number 11 at the U.S. box office, a phenomenal achievement for an Indonesian film. It has electrified Indonesian audiences and injected new energy into the national film scene, standing head and shoulders [...]

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Miund expects to be heckled. She’s used to it. As one of Indonesia’s up-and-coming stand-up comedians, she has to be. It’s only when she’s not being pestered by the audience, when they’re so engrossed in her bit they fall silent, that she gets nervous. See Miund, a radio personality whose morning show runs from 6 [...]

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When you see a Kain Ikat you may think to yourself, “Hmm, that’s pretty. Maybe I’ll buy that for Mum.” If you stop and take a close look at one of these works of art, you’ll notice how extremely intricate they are, and if you take a time out to chat with Sharon Lumantobing, founder [...]

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Keeping up with the latest contemporary trends, architectural design on Bali is of course all about minimalism. Or at least, that’s what everybody building a new villa on Bali seems to talk about. Because less is more, you know? Modern minimalist architecture may be trendy, but how does that combine with the architectural traditions known [...]

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My Indonesian language skills have never been that good. I struggle to put three or four words together and when I can manage that there is no guarantee I can repeat the feat with the same words minutes later. Since I discovered the Benny and Mice comic books my wife says my language skills have [...]

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As the economy booms, more and more Indonesians head to the City of Lions for their entertainment needs, whether it be to the cinema, theatre or restaurants. Although big name acts have recently performed in Jakarta, Singapore still attracts more international talent and organizes more cultural festivals. As a result, the production of Wicked at [...]

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The Jakarta Players The Jakarta Players are a group of people, young and old, from working mums and dads to students, from teachers to ladies who lunch, both expat and Indonesian with one thing in common; the passion for theatre. Come rain or shine, they gather for evening rehearsals during the week as well as [...]

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Rafi Abdurrahman Ridwan is a nine-year old hearing impaired boy from Jakarta with a vivid imagination and big dreams for the future. He has already managed to accomplish what many could only ever dream of and has become Indonesia’s youngest fashion designer. Rafi Abdurrahman Ridwan I first learnt of Rafi at Jakarta Fashion Week 2012 [...]

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Like endangered species, magical encounters with pure and unadulterated Indonesian traditional culture have become increasingly rare events in the 21st century. While predictions for long-term survival are dark, miraculous surprises can come when least expected. Arriving under the cover of dusk, the reality of an uneasy new national border set up between Indonesian Timor and [...]

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Literally translated as “Arabic Market”, Le Souq captures the young and vibrant spirit which is somewhat lacking in Jakarta’s interior design world. Fresh out of the oven, this interior decorating shop has the shelf age of one week but has won over the hearts of countless people already. What makes this shop so special? Three [...]

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