Local Dance and Culinary Ready to Welcome Delegations at the Opening of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo
West Manggarai – Indonesia once again holds the baton for the chairmanship of the ASEAN Summit. As ASEAN captain this year, Indonesia will automatically host the 42nd ASEAN Summit, which will be held in Labuan Bajo, NTT and the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta in September.
The ASEAN Summit or ASEAN Summit is believed to be able to boost tourism and the regional economy amid the slumping cases of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was said by the Young Leader of Tana Mori, Hasanudin.
“The 2023 ASEAN Summit which appointed Labuan Bajo as the host is a form of the international community’s trust in Indonesia that this world-scale activity can be carried out in safe and conducive conditions,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Main Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority Executing Agency (BPOLBF), Shana Fatina, in her statement to the press, revealed that she recommended nuances of local wisdom to welcome delegates and guests of the 2023 ASEAN Summit. These recommendations included the ‘Tari Arrive Meka’ and regional culinary offerings.
Shana explained, the Tiba Meka dance is part of the tradition of welcoming guests in the Greater Manggarai area, namely Manggarai, East Manggarai and West Manggarai. This tradition was passed down from the ancestors of the Manggarai people as a form of respect for important guests.
“Through this dance, the host can show hospitality. To be able to realize this hope, we have coordinated with the Provincial Government of NTT and also the West Manggarai Regency Government, so that we can take advantage of an interlude event with a culture that has local wisdom in NTT in general and Manggarai in particular,” he said.
Shana added that his party was also trying so that all delegates and guests of the ASEAN Summit would be served dishes with a local NTT nuance.
To note, Indonesia carries the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” in its chairmanship this time. The meaning of ASEAN Matters is that Indonesia is trying to make ASEAN remain important and relevant to the people of ASEAN and beyond, or outside ASEAN. Meanwhile, as the Epicentrum of Growth, Indonesia is determined to continue to make Southeast Asia a center of economic growth.
