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THE Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Prague in collaboration with the Zikmund 100 Project and Garuda Restaurant held a photo exhibition ‘Old and New Indonesia’ in a series of activities to commemorate Indonesia’s 75th Anniversary in the Czech Republic which was held at Garuda Restaurant, Prague, from 7 August to 6 September to come.
“The photo exhibition displays the work of a Czech traveler and photographer, Miroslav Zikmund and Tomas Vanourek, who traveled to Indonesia at a different period” said the Indonesian Embassy in Prague’s Social and Cultural Center Prairie Maharwati.
Miroslav Zikmund, the legendary Czech traveler traveled to several Asian countries including Indonesia in 1962. During the trip, Zikmund captured several locations including Nias Island, Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, and Bali.
56 years later in 2018, Tomas Vanourek took a trace to the place Zikmund had visited and captured the same point.
At the opening of the photo exhibition, the Indonesian Ambassador to Prague, Kenssy D. Ekaningsih, stated that the Indonesian Embassy in Prague welcomed the photo exhibition initiated by Tomas Vanourek to introduce Indonesia through the past and present appearance of Indonesia.
“What’s interesting is that in this photo exhibition, Vanourek managed to meet direct descendants of Zikmund’s photo object, so that the photos displayed tell stories about Indonesia in the past and the present,” said Kenssy.
Meanwhile, Tomas Vanourek shared his experience while tracing Zikmund’s journey to Indonesia.
The opening ceremony was filled with presentations by the famous Czech director, Jiri Novak, who presented a TV documentary series about the adventures of Czech actor Roman Zach in several locations in Indonesia such as East Java, Yogyakarta, Flores, Alor and Sumba.
The documentary series entitled ‘Looking for the Lost World’ was broadcast on the Czech national TV station, Ceska Televize. In addition to the presentation at the opening of the photo exhibition, the Indonesian Embassy in Prague also held a follow-up presentation by Roman Zach on August 21, 2020.
According to Kenssy, the promotion of Indonesia through the photographic work initiated by Tomas Vanourek shows the impression of Indonesia for Czech citizens who have traveled to Indonesia.
The enthusiasm of Czech celebrities – travelers, photographers, actors, directors – to promote Indonesia in the Czech Republic shows their love for Indonesia.
“Their presence certainly adds to the number of Indonesian friends in Czech who support the soft diplomacy of the Indonesian Embassy in Prague,” said Ambassador Kenssy.
Even though the world is being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Czech Republic, the Indonesian Embassy in Prague is trying to carry out promotional activities for Indonesia, both economy, tourism and culture, to introduce Indonesia more widely in the Czech Republic. The momentum of the 75th Indonesian Independence Day is a gift from the Indonesian Embassy in Prague for Indonesia. [antaranews]
