SOUNDSEKERTA returns for another year of Indonesian cultural pride and invites students to participate in their various competitions to remind Indonesian students of their heritage. Darren Boon fills you in on what organisers have in store this 2014.
Returning for its seventh year, Soundsekerta – the annual cultural and arts event organised by Monash University’s Indonesian Student Association (PPIA Monash) – will take place on September 14 at the Melbourne Town Hall.
The event is the association’s attempt to remind Indonesian students of their cultural heritage and national identity through the arts and other cultural activities.
Soundsekerta 2014 bases its event around the idea of a ‘Limitless Indonesia’ which focuses on the potential contribution of Indonesian students to their country in different ways that could be exercised anywhere.
As part of the celebration, there will be several contests with prizes to be won. These contests include a writing competition, a song-cover competition, and for the first time ever in the event’s history, a photography contest.
Participants in the photography competition can submit a maximum of two photos that evoke the theme, ‘Australia In Our Eyes’. The photographs must be original works and not have won any previous awards. The photographs should not be more than two years old before the date of entry.
The essay competition asks participants to answer whether or not going overseas for study is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and if studying abroad is really worth it. Essays should be in English and between 500-1500 words. The work should be original and unpublished.
For those looking to express their creativity through song, groups and individuals can participate in the song cover competition by covering the some of the nights’ performing artists (including the likes of Maliq & D’Essentials and Sheila on 7). A participant may only send one cover with a maximum of five minutes. The song may be recorded with musical instruments or karaoke tracks and then uploaded onto YouTube.
Non-Indonesian students who have an interest in Indonesian culture are welcome to join in the fun in Soundsekerta too.
For more details about the event and its competitions, visit the Soundsekerta 2014 Facebook page.