InJourney Group Celebrates Indonesian Independence Day by Presenting Folk Arts, Cultural Heritage, and Caring for NTT

To commemorate the 81st anniversary of Indonesian Independence, InJourney Group presents Folk Arts in Independence Togetherness as a space for the community to create, contribute, and preserve Indonesia's cultural diversity. Held at Sarinah, Jakarta, this event brings together artists, cultural communities, MSMEs, tourism stakeholders, and the community in a spirit of mutual cooperation and togetherness.

More than just a performance, Folk Arts represents the diversity of Indonesian culture as well as a shared space for the community to showcase their work and potential.

More than 1.500 artists were given space to create and perform, with various cultural expressions such as angklung performances, Hudoq Dance, Reog Ponorogo, and the Colossal Mask Dance involving more than 100 dancers.

This event also featured 17 mask installations by artists and 81 handiworks by janur artists, as well as providing space for 100 MSMEs to introduce and market their products.

For InJourney Group, the involvement of these various elements reflects Indonesia's tourism ecosystem, which consists not only of airports, hotels, and destinations, but also of the communities that bring tourism experiences to life through art, culture, creativity, local products, and hospitality.

InJourney's CEO, Maya Watono, stated that independence for InJourney is not just a moment to celebrate, but an opportunity to make real contributions and benefits to society.

"For us, independence is about how we participate and contribute. Through Folk Arts in Togetherness in Independence, we want to create a space for the community to create, for Indonesian culture to live on, and for various elements in the tourism ecosystem to grow together. We convey this spirit through mutual cooperation, caring, and real contributions," said Maya.

This spirit is also realized through four flagship InJourney programs run in collaboration with its subsidiaries: InJourney UMKM, InJourney Community Care, InJourney Hospitality House, and InJourney Green. In this year's independence momentum, these four programs are realized through a series of contributions that include 81 MSMEs, 810 tourism actors, 8.100 books, and 81.000 trees and mangroves.

This program is part of the InJourney Group's commitment to translate the spirit of independence into community empowerment, capacity building for tourism actors, education and social activities, and environmental awareness. Thus, the meaning of independence goes beyond ceremony, but is realized through opportunities to grow, create, and contribute. As part of the InJourney Group, Sarinah was entrusted with implementing this activity. For Sarinah, this activity is part of an effort to continue providing a space for the public to learn about, enjoy, and celebrate Indonesia's rich culture.

Sarinah's President Director, Raisha Syarfuan, stated that "For Sarinah, culture always has a story that is close to people's lives. Therefore, we want to continue presenting activities that allow people to see and experience Indonesia's diversity. We also carry this spirit through various activities presented by Sarinah throughout the year, including Festiloka."

Joint Prayer and Solidarity for Disaster-Affected Communities

Amidst the momentum of independence, InJourney Group also invites the entire community to jointly show concern for brothers and sisters who are facing disasters.

As a form of empathy, the Folk Arts activities at Sarinah began and were accompanied by a collective prayer and a moment of silence for the disaster-affected communities, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and the Sumatra region.

InJourney Group is also opening a donation platform for earthquake-affected communities in NTT through collaboration and synergy between state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and BRI. The collected donations will then be distributed to affected communities in NTT.

Meanwhile, InJourney Group has moved quickly to collect and distribute aid to disaster-affected communities in NTT. This assistance is based on a needs assessment on the ground to ensure targeted support, with a focus on food and drinking water, healthcare, emergency response logistics, and the needs of vulnerable groups.

To date, aid mobilized and distributed includes 4.600 kilograms of rice, 4.080 liters of drinking water, 32 boxes of instant noodles, 21 boxes of UHT milk, and various other food supplies. For vulnerable groups, aid includes 65 packages of baby diapers, 50 packages of baby food, and 1.300 toiletries.

Health support is also provided in the form of medicines and basic health supplies, while temporary housing needs are supported through the distribution of tarpaulins, mattresses, pillows, and blankets.

One of the aid distribution points is at the Antonius Leda Station, Wajur Parish, Pangga Village, Leda Village, Kolang, which supports 23 families whose houses were severely damaged and are currently taking refuge independently in tents.

The aid distribution was coordinated through ITDC, the InJourney Group's point of contact in NTT, along with the BUMN Peduli (State-Owned Enterprises Care) Task Force in NTT, through BRI and the Labuan Bajo Disaster Command Post. ITDC also conducted assessments at several affected locations around Ring 1 Golomori, West Manggarai, to determine aid priorities.

InJourney's Director of Human Resources and Digital, Herdy Harman, added that caring for disaster-affected communities is part of the spirit of mutual cooperation that the InJourney Group wants to continue to build.

"Amidst the momentum of independence, we are also reminded that there are still our brothers and sisters who need support. Therefore, we invite the public to join us in praying, strengthening, and helping, according to our abilities, the affected communities in NTT. No matter how small, support, when done together, can be meaningful," Herdy continued.

For InJourney Group, Folk Arts in Independence Togetherness is a reflection that independence can be interpreted through various forms of contribution, namely preserving culture, opening up space for the community to work, empowering economic and tourism actors, protecting the environment, and being present and moving together when the community needs it.

This enthusiasm is part of InJourney's journey to continue driving the Indonesian aviation and tourism ecosystem to provide wider benefits to the community and the nation.