Envoys in friendly territory on English talk show
Envoys in friendly territory on English talk show
By Bruce Emond
JAKARTA (JP): Do not expect any diplomatic incidents during 30 Minutes with a Friend, the new talk show every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on TPI.
The show, consisting of half-hour interviews with foreign ambassadors to Indonesia, gives the countries a friendly forum to put their best face forward. The countries are shown in soft focus, with host Brigitta Priscilla providing neat segues between the topics.
Of particular interest is that the shows are in English and are usually broadcast live. Locally produced English-language shows are a rarity in Indonesia.
Brigitta, formerly a newsreader on SCTV's English-language morning news, ably delivers the questions in American-accented English. If anything, the show occasionally exposes the less than proficient language skills of the foreign envoys.
Still, it is all in good fun. The ambassadors get the opportunity to talk about their countries' friendly relations with Indonesia, sometimes offering a little insight into their cultures back home.
It's not all hard facts and figures. In one of the first shows, viewers were treated to a traditional dance performance by a pair of blond tykes from Finland as the end credits rolled. It followed a lengthy discussion by the Finnish ambassador about his country's expertise in forestry and how it was being used to help Indonesia.
Despite the we're-all-friends-here nature of the show, sometimes one wishes Brigitta would push the envelope just a tad. Of course, it is not a matter of dredging up a country's sorry record on human rights, or a major conflict raging on its borders. Instead, it is about taking the discussion one level up from the pedestrian.
For instance, when an ambassador talks about bilateral trade relations, and reveals a huge deficit in his country's favor, the inevitable question is what can Indonesia do to have a little more business coming its way. It does not seem too impertinent an inquiry, but it goes unasked.
Last Tuesday's show featured the ambassador of Morocco, who ventured down the same path of his predecessors with a discussion of the good relations between the two nations. It was unusual in that the show was taped instead of being broadcast live.
The show, which uses the interesting advertising blurb of featuring "performing (?) foreign ambassador from each country in Jakarta", will next feature the ambassador of Switzerland, Gerald Fonjallaz, on Aug. 8. Scheduled for coming weeks are the ambassadors of the Slovak Republic, Canada, Chile, Denmark and Bangladesh.
While Brigitta may not have the skills of an Oprah Winfrey or Larry King (nor would one expect her to), she does what is required to keep the show running along smoothly. 30 Minutes with a Friend, while not the most riveting viewing on the tube, is nevertheless a fine opportunity to hear a little bit of the international language as it is spoken around the world.