Independence Day: Mapala UI raises flag on Gamalama and undertakes solo expedition

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The University of Indonesia Nature Lovers (Mapala UI) joined in celebrating the 81st Independence Day, from unfurling the Red and White flag at the summit of Mount Gamalama in North Maluku to a solo bike-hiking expedition from Java to Lombok.

University of Indonesia Rector Heri Hermansyah said the activities added to the festive atmosphere of the independence celebration at UI. He expressed hope that Mapala UI would continue to progress and recruit more members through various activities and additional skills beneficial to UI students.

In celebrating the 81st Independence Day, the Mapala UI paragliding team conducting the Fly The Spice Islands expedition held a ceremony at the summit of Mount Gamalama and raised the Red and White flag. The flag was not merely a ceremonial symbol but also opened opportunities for more paragliding enthusiasts to fly from the site in the future.

In Central Maluku, the Universitas Indonesia Membangun Nusa (UIMN) 2026 team also celebrated Independence Day at the invitation of the West North Seram sub-district head to join a ceremony with local government officials across the sub-district in Pasanea, a neighbouring village of Wailulu where the UIMN 2026 programme is located.

Unlike the two previous activities in Maluku, a Mapala UI member named Aqil carried out his own mission through a solo expedition titled ‘Menapak Bumi: Bike-Hiking Jawa-Bali-Lombok’. Coinciding with the 81st Independence Day, Aqil had covered a distance of 1,087 kilometres and was at Mount Argopuro in East Java.

On campus, Mapala UI celebrated independence by raising a giant 25-metre Red and White flag at the UI Rectorate Building in Depok, West Java.