Home Affairs Minister: Fulan Fehan Festival Strengthens Indonesia–Timor-Leste Diplomacy

Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian has assessed the Fulan Fehan Festival IV as a moment to strengthen cultural diplomacy and friendship between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The festival featured a distinctive dance performed by four united tribes, carrying the theme ‘Dance for Friendship’. According to Tito, the theme aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s message that friendship is far more valuable than hostility. ‘One thousand friends are not enough. One enemy is already too many. Four tribes joined together, dancing together, becoming good friends,’ Tito said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday. The message was delivered during the opening of the Fulan Fehan Festival IV in Dirun Village, Lamaknen District, Belu Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Saturday (27/6). The opening was marked by the striking of a tihar, a traditional musical instrument from Belu. The Home Affairs Minister said this was his first experience witnessing the Fulan Fehan Festival. He noted that he often watches colossal performances in various regions with man-made stages, such as in stadiums in Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. In contrast, this festival utilises the natural landscape as its stage. ‘In a place not built by humans. In this beautiful, hilly savannah grassland, with the beautiful Mount Lakaan nearby, beautiful air, not man-made, but by God Almighty,’ he said. The minister added that the presence of participants and guests from Timor-Leste and Australia further strengthened the spirit of cross-border friendship built through art and culture. According to him, the festival serves as a space to tighten Indonesia’s relations with neighbouring countries. ‘Through this festival, I am proud to be a part of it and to witness, a witness to history in Belu, NTT, with its art and culture. Both the thousands-of-years-old weaving, the diverse dances, the different languages, yet all within the frame of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,’ he stated. He expressed hope that the Fulan Fehan Festival would not only serve as entertainment for the community but also leave a lasting impression on visitors. He is optimistic that the festival’s organisation will be even more vibrant in the coming years. ‘Hopefully next year or in the years to come, the Fulan Fehan Festival will become an international festival,’ he concluded. The event was also attended by Vice Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto, NTT Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, Belu Regent Willybrodus Lay, TP PKK Chairwoman Tri Tito Karnavian, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of Timor-Leste Graziela Fatima Liu Soares, Secretary of State for Arts and Culture of Timor-Leste Jorge Cristovao, and Darwin Lord Mayor Peter Styles.