Culture of Indonesia in General. The culture of Indonesia has took its current shape molded by several influences that have been prevalent in the land, as a result of the long process of interaction and acculturation between original indigenous customs and a multitude of foreign influences. Nestled between the ancient sea trading routes between Far East and Middle East, Indonesian culture, too a large extent has imbibed much of its daily practices and art forms from the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucianism and Islamic influences. These connections are clearly evident mostly in its many trading cities. The kaleidoscopic cultural hue of Indonesia is largely cosmopolitan and need to be distinguished from the original. The complex nature of this culture can be easily gazed by various lines of faiths adopted by people here, for example: Agama Hindu Dharma, a denomination of Hinduism is now practiced by 93% of Balinese. Other examples are the fusion of Islam with Hindu in Javanese Abangan belief, the fusion of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism in Budha, the fusion of Hinduism and animism in Kaharingan, and many others. With the diverse influences, shaping up the perspective of the Indonesian people, their lifestyle and values, the impact of the cultural fusion is also noticeable in Indonesian art forms. For instances, wayang- a traditional form of theatre show performed with puppets was used to spread Hinduism and Islam among villagers in Java. Similarly, in various Javanese and Balinese dances, often stories about old Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms are told. In Sumatra, especially in its Minangkabau and Aceh regions, one can see direct architectural inspiration from the Islamic art forms and architectures. As far as the westernization of culture of Indonesia is concerned, an imprint of it though cannot be ruled out, but it is mostly limited to modern entertainment, such as television shows, movies and songs. One of the major influences in this sphere are the Bollywood songs and movies.

1. The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by
long interactionbetweenoriginalindigenous customs and multiple
foreign influences.Indonesiais centrally-located along ancient trading
routes betweenthe Far East,South Asia and the Middle East,
resulting in many culturalpractices being strongly influenced by a
multitude of religions,
including Hinduism,Buddhism,Confucianism,Islam andChristianity,
all strong in the major trading cities. The resultis a complex cultural
mixture very differentfrom the originalindigenouscultures.
Examplesof culturalfusion include the fusion of Islam with Hindu in
JavaneseAbanganbelief, the fusion of Hinduism,Buddhism
andanimism in Bodha,and the fusion of Hinduism and animism
in Kaharingan;otherscould be cited. Balinese dances havestories
aboutancientBuddhistand Hindu kingdoms,while Islamic art forms
and architectureare presentin Sumatra,especially in
theMinangkabau and Aceh regions.Traditionalart, music and sport
are combined in a martialart form called Pencak Silat.
Western culture has greatly influenced Indonesia in science,
technology and modern entertainmentsuch as television shows,film
and music, as well as political system and issues. India has notably
influenced Indonesiansongs and movies.A popular type of song is
the Indian-rhythmicaldangdut,which is often mixed
with Arab and Malay folk music.
Despite the influencesof foreign culture,some remote Indonesian
regions stillpreserve uniquely indigenous culture.Indigenousethnic
groupsMentawai,Asmat, Dani, Dayak,Toraja and many othersare
still practising their ethnic rituals,customs and wearingtraditional
clothes.
Contents
[hide]
 1Traditionalperforming arts
o 1.1Music
o 1.2Dance
o 1.3Dramaand theatre
o 1.4MartialArt
 2Traditionalvisualarts
o 2.1Painting
o 2.2Sculpture
 3Architecture
 4Crafts
 5Literature
o 5.1Poetry
 6Recreationand sports
 7Cuisine
 8Popularmedia
o 8.1Cinema
o 8.2Television
o 8.3Radio
 9Religion and philosophy
 10Celebrations
 11See also
 12References
 13Furtherreading
Traditional performing arts[edit]
Music[edit]
Main article: Musicof Indonesia
Gamelan player, Yogyakarta
Indonesiais home to with those from the islands
of Java,Sumatra and Balibeing frequently recorded.The traditional
music of centralandEastJava and Bali is the gamelan.
On 29 June 1965, Koes Plus,a leading Indonesianpop group in the
1960s,1970sand 1980s,was imprisonedin Glodok,West Jakarta,for
playing Western-style music.After the resignationof President
Sukarno,the law was rescinded,and in the 1970s the Glodok prison
was dismantled and replaced with a large shopping mall.
Kroncongis a musicalgenrethat uses guitars and ukulele as the
main musicalinstruments.This genrehad its roots in Portugal and
was introducedby Portuguese traders in the 15th century.There is a
traditional KeroncongTugu music groupin North Jakarta and other
traditionalKeroncongmusic groups in Maluku,with strong
Portuguese influences.This music genrewas popular in the first half

2. of the 20th century;a contemporary form of Kroncong is called Pop
Kroncong.
Angklung musicalorchestra,native of West Java,received
internationalrecognitionas UNESCO has listed the traditionalWest
Java musicalinstrumentmade from bamboo in the list of intangible
culturalheritage.[1][2]
The soft Sasando music from the province of East Nusa
Tenggarain West Timor is completelydifferent.Sasando usesan
instrumentmade from a split leaf of the Lontar palm (Borassus
flabellifer),which bears some resemblanceto a harp.
Dance[edit]
Main article: Dancein Indonesia
Balinese Topeng dance drama.
Minangkabau Tari Piring (plate dance)
Indonesian dance reflects the diversity of culture from ethnic groups
that composed the nation of Indonesia.Austronesianroots and
Melanesian tribaldance forms are visible,and influences ranging
from neighbouringAsian countries; suchas India, China, and Middle
East to European western styles throughcolonisation.Each ethnic
group has their own distinctdances;makestotal dances in Indonesia
are more than 3000 Indonesianoriginaldances.However,the dances
of Indonesia can be divided into three eras;the Prehistoric Era,the
Hindu/BuddhistEra and the Era of Islam, and into two genres;court
dance and folk dance.
There is a continuum in the traditionaldances depictingepisodes
from the Ramayana andMahabharata from India, ranging
through Thailand,all the way to Bali. There is a marked difference,
though,between the highly stylised dancesof the courts
of Yogyakarta and Surakartaand theirpopularvariations.While the
courtdancesare promoted and even performed internationally,the
popular forms of dance artand drama mustlargely be discovered
locally.
During the last few years, Saman from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
has become ratherpopular and is often portrayedon
TV.ReogPonorogois also a dance that originatedfrom the
districtPonorogo,EastJava,which is a visualisationof the legendary
story Wengker kingdom and the kingdom ofKediri.
A popularline dance called Poco-poco wasoriginated in Indonesia
and also popular in Malaysia,but at early April 2011 MalaysianIslamic
clerics banned the poco-poco dance for Muslims due to them
believing it is traditionally a Christian danceand that its steps make
the sign of the cross.[3]
Drama and theatre[edit]
Pandava and Krishna in an act of the wayang wong performance.
Wayang kulit performance.
Wayang,the Javanese,Sundanese,and Balinese shadow
puppettheatre showsdisplay severalmythologicallegendssuch
as Ramayana and Mahabharata,and many more.Wayang Orang is
Javanesetraditionaldance dramabasedon wayang stories.Various
Balinese dancedramaalso can be included within traditionalform of

3. Indonesian drama.Another form of local drama is
JavaneseLudruk and Ketoprak,SundaneseSandiwara,and
BetawiLenong.All of these drama incorporated humor and jest, often
involving audiences in their performance.
Randaiis a folk theatre tradition of the Minangkabau peopleof West
Sumatra,usually performedfor traditionalceremonies and festivals.It
incorporatesmusic,singing,dance,drama and the silatmartialart,
with performancesoften based on semi-historicalMinangkabau
legends and love story.
Modern performingartalso developed in Indonesia with their distinct
style of drama.Notable theatre,dance,and drama troupe such
asTeaterKoma are gain popularity in Indonesia astheir drama often
portray socialand political satire of Indonesiansociety.
Martial Art[edit]
Main articles: Indonesianmartial arts and PencakSilat
Pencak Silat demonstration in Jakarta.
The artof silat was created and firstly developed in the islands
of Java and Sumatra.It is an art for survivaland practised throughout
Indonesian archipelago.Centuriesof tribal wars in Indonesianhistory
had shaped silat as it was used by the ancientwarriors of Indonesia.
Silat was used to determinethe rank and position in old Indonesian
kingdoms.
Contacts with Indians and Chinesewas further enrichedsilat. Silat
reached areas beyondIndonesia mainly through diaspora of
Indonesian people.People from various regions
like Aceh, Minangkabau,Riau, Bugis,Makassar,Java,Banjar,etc.
moved into and settled in Malay Peninsula and other islands.They
broughtsilat and passedit down to their descendants.
The Indonesianof half-Dutch descent are also credited as the first to
broughtthe art into Europe.
Silat was used by Indonesian independencefighters duringtheir
struggle againstthe Dutch colonialrule.Unfortunately after Indonesia
achievingtheir independence,silat becameless popularamong
Indonesian youth compare to foreign martialarts
like Karate andTaekwondo.This probably because silatwas not
taughtopenly and only passeddown amongblood relatives,the other
reasonis the lack of media portrayalof the art.
Efforts have been made in recentyears to introduce and reintroduce
the beauty of silat to Indonesian youth and the world.Exhibitions and
promotions by individuals as wellas state-sponsoredgroups helped
the growing of silat's popularity,particularly in Europe and United
States.Indonesian2009 Silat movie Merantau is one of Indonesian
efforts to introducesilat to internationalscene.
Another martialart from Indonesiais Tarung Derajat.It is a modern
combatsystem created by Haji Ahmad Drajatbased on his experience
as a streetfighter.Tarung Drajat has been acknowledgeas a national
sportby KONI in 1998 and is now used by IndonesianArmy as part of
their basic training.
Traditional visual arts[edit]
Painting[edit]
See also: List of Indonesianpainters
Kenyah mural painting in Long Nawang, East Kalimantan.
What Indonesian paintingbefore the 19th centuryare mostly
restrictedto the decorative arts,consideredto be a religious and
spiritualactivity, comparable to the pre-1400 European art.Artists'
names are anonymous,since the individualhuman creatorwas seen
as far less importantthan their creation to honourthe deities or
spirits.Some examples are the Kenyah decorativeart, based on
endemic naturalmotifs such as ferns and hornbills,found decorating

4. the walls of Kenyah longhouses.Other notabletraditionalartis the
geometricToraja wood carvings.Balinese painting are initially the
narrativeimages to depictscenesof Balinese legends and religious
scripts.The classicalBalinesepaintingsare often decorating
the lontar manuscripts and also the ceilings of temples pavilion.
The Arrest of Pangeran Diponegoro by Raden Saleh.
Hunt by Raden Saleh.
Balinese painting by I Ketut Ginarsa.
Under the influence of the Dutch colonial power,a trend toward
Western-style paintingemergedin the 19th century.In the
Netherlands,the term "Indonesian Painting" is applied to the
paintings producedby Dutch or other foreign artists who lived and
worked in the former Netherlands-Indies.The mostfamous
indigenous 19th century Indonesian painteris Raden Saleh (1807–
1877),the first indigenous artistto study in Europe.His art is heavily
influenced by Romanticism.[4]
In 1920's Walter Spies began to settled
in Bali, he is often credited with attracting the attention of Western
culturalfigures to Balinese cultureand art. His works has somehow
influenced Balinese artists and painters.TodayBali has one of the
most vivid and richestpainting tradition in Indonesia.
The 1920s to 1940swere a time of growing nationalism in Indonesia.
The previousperiod ofromanticism movementwas not seen as a
purely Indonesian movementand did not developed.Painters began
to see the naturalworld for inspiration.Some examplesof Indonesian
painter during this period are the Balinese Ida Bagus Madeand
the realistBasukiAbdullah.The IndonesianPaintersAssociation
(Persatuan Ahli-Ahli GambarIndonesia or PERSAGI, 1938–1942)was
formed during this period.PERSAGI established a contemporaryart
philosophy thatsaw art works as reflections ofthe artist’s individual
or personalview as well as an expression of national cultural
thoughts.
From the 1940s on,artists started to mix Western techniques with
SoutheastAsian imageryand content.Paintersthat rooted in the
revolutionarymovementof the World War and the post-World War
period started to appearduringthis period,such as
Sudjojono,Affandi, and Hendra.[5]
During the 1960s,new elements were addedwhen abstract
expressionism and Islamic art began to be absorbedby the art
community.Also during this period,group of painters thatare more
concerned aboutthe reality of Indonesian society beganto appear,
taking inspiration from the socialproblem suchas division between
the rich and the poor,pollution,and deforestation.The national
identity of Indonesia was stressedby these painters through the use
of a realistic,documentary style.During the Sukarnoperiodthis
socially-engaged artwas officially promoted,but after 1965 it lost
popularity due to its presumed communisttendencies.[6]
Three artacademies offer extensive formaltraining in visual
art: BandungInstitute of Technology founded in 1947; the Akademi
Seni Rupa Indonesia (Indonesian Fine Arts Academy)or ASRI, now
known as ISI, in Yogyakarta was inaugurated in 1950;and the Institut
KesenianJakarta (Jakarta Arts Institute)or IKJ, was opened in 1970.
Sculpture[edit]
Relief sculpture from Borobudurtemple.

5. Indonesiahas a long history of stone,bronze and Iron Ages arts. The
megalithic sculpturescan be found in numerous archaeologicalsites
in Sumatra,Java to Sulawesi.The native Indonesianstribes have their
own distincttribal sculpturestyles,usually created to depict
ancestors,deities and animals.The pre-Hindu-Buddhistand pre-
Islamic sculpturescan be traced in the artworks of indigenous
Indonesian tribes.Themostnotable sculpturesare those
of Asmat wooden sculpture of Papua,the Dayak woodenmask and
sculpture,the ancestralwooden statue of Toraja,also the totem-like
sculptureof Batak and Nias tribe.
The stone sculpture artform particularly flourished in 8th-to-10th-
century Javaand Bali, which demonstrate the influences ofHindu-
Buddhistculture,both as stand-aloneworksof art and also
incorporatedinto temples.Mostnotable sculptureof classicalHindu-
Buddhistera of Indonesia are the hundredsof meters of relief and
hundredsof stone buddhas at the temple of Borobudur in central
Java.Approximately two miles of exquisite reliefsculpturetell the
story of the life of Buddha and illustrate his teachings.The temple
was originally home to 504 statues of the seated Buddha.This site, as
with others in centralJava,show a clear Indian influence.The
examplesof notable IndonesianHindu-Buddhistsculpturesare; the
statues of Hindu deities; Shiva,Vishnu,Brahma,Durga,Ganeshaand
Agastya enthronedin rooms of Prambanantemples,
the Vishnu mounting Garudastatue of king Airlangga,the exquisite
statue of Eastern Javanese Prajnaparamita and 3.7 meters
tallDvarapaladated from Singhasari period,and also the grand statue
of Bhairava Adityawarman discovered in Sumatra.Today,the Hindu-
Buddhiststyle stone sculpturesare reproduced in villages
in Muntilan nearBorobuduralso in Trowulan the formercapitalsite of
Majapahitin East Java,and Bali, and sold as garden or pool ornament
statues for homes,offices and hotels.
Todayin Indonesia,the richest,mostelaborateand vivid wooden
sculptureand wood carvingtraditionscan be found
in Bali and Jepara,CentralJava.Balinese handicrafts suchas
sculptures,masks,and other carvingartworksare popularsouvenir
for touristthat have visited Indonesia.On the other hand,the Jepara
wood carving are famousfor its elaborately carved wooden
furnitures, folding screens also pelaminan gebyok(wedding throne
with carved background).
Architecture[edit]
Main article: Indonesian architecture
Minangkabau Rumah Gadang
For centuries,the Indonesian vernaculararchitecturehas shaped
settlements in Indonesia which commonly took form of timber
structures builton stilts dominated bylarge roof.The mostdominant
foreign influences on Indonesian architecture were Indian,although
Europeaninfluences have beenparticularlystrong since the 19th
century and modern architecture in Indonesia is internationalin
scope.
As in much of South EastAsia, traditionalvernaculararchitecturein
Indonesiaare built on stilts, with the significantexceptionsof Java
and Bali. Notable stilt houses are those of the Dayak people
in Borneo,the Rumah Gadang of the Minangkabaupeople in western
Sumatra,the Rumah Bolon of the Batak people in northern Sumatra,
and the Tongkonanof the Toraja people in Sulawesi.Oversized
saddle roofs with large eaves,such as the homesof the Batak and
the tongkonan of Toraja,are often bigger than the house they shelter.
The fronts of Torajan houses are frequently decorated with buffalo
horns,stacked one above another,as an indication of status.The
outside walls also frequentlyfeature decorative reliefs.
The 8th-centuryBorobudur temple near Yogyakarta is the largest
Buddhisttemple in the world, and is notable for incorporating about
2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statuesinto its structure,telling
the story of the life of the Buddha.As the visitor ascends throughthe
eight levels of the temple, the story unfolds,the final three levels
simply containingstupasand statues of the Buddha.The building is
said to incorporatea map of the Buddhistcosmosand is a masterful
fusion of the didactic narrative relief,spiritualsymbolism,
monumentaldesign and the serene meditativeenvirons.The whole
monumentitself resembles a giantstupa, but seen from above it
forms a mandala.[7]
The nearby 9th-century temple complex at Prambanan contains some
of the best preserved examplesof Hindu temple architecture in Java.
The temple complex compriseseightmain shrines,surrounded by
224 smaller shrines.The Indian influenceon the site is clear,not only

6. in the style of the monument,but also in the reliefs featuring scenes
from theRamayanawhich adornthe outer walls of the main temples,
and in the votive statuaryfound within.
Crafts[edit]
Minangkabau songket
.
Hand drawn batik making
SeveralIndonesianislands are famous for
their batik, ikat and songket cloth.Once on the brink of disappearing,
batik and later ikat found a new lease of life when former
President Suharto promotedwearingbatik shirts on official
occasions.In addition to the traditionalpatterns with their special
meanings,used for particular occasions,batik designs have become
creative and diverse overthe last few years.
Other worldwidefamous Indonesian crafts are Jepara wood
carving[8]
and Kris. In 2005,UNESCO recognised Kris as one
of Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity from
Indonesia.[9]
Literature[edit]
Main article: Indonesian literature
Pramoedya Ananta Toer was Indonesia's mostinternationally
celebrated author,havingwon the Magsaysay Award as well as being
considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature.Other importantfigures
include the late ChairilAnwar, a poet and member of the "Generation
45" group of authorswho were active in the Indonesian independence
movement.Tightinformation controlsduring Suharto'spresidency
suppressed new writing,especially because ofits ability to agitate for
socialreform.
In the book MaxHavelaar,Dutch author Multatulicriticised the Dutch
treatmentof the Indonesians,which gained him international
attention.
Modern Indonesianauthors include SenoGumira Adjidarma,Andrea
Hirata, Habiburrahman ElShirazy,Ayu Utami, Gus tf Sakai,Eka
Kurniawan,Ratih Kumala,Dee,Oka Rusmini. Some of their works
have translatedinto other languages.
Poetry[edit]
There is a long tradition in Indonesia,particularly among
ethnically Malaypopulations,of extemporary,interactive,oral
compositionof poetry.These poems are referred to aspantun.
Contemporary Indonesian poets includeamong others, Sutardji
Calzoum Bachri,Rendra,Taufiq Ismail, Afrizal Malna,[10]
Binhad
Nurrohmat, Joko Pinurbo,SapardiDjoko Damono.
Recreation and sports[edit]
Main article: Sportin Indonesia

7. Taufik Hidayat, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in badminton men's singles.
Many traditionalgames are still preserved and popular in Indonesia,
although western culturehas influencedsome parts of them. Among
three hundred officially recognised Indonesiancultures,there are
many kinds of traditionalgames: cockfighting in Bali, annualbull
races inMadura,and stone jumping in Nias. Stone jumping involves
leaping over a stone wall aboutup to 1.5 m high and was originally
used to train warriors. Pencak Silat is another popular formof sport,
which was influencedby Asian culture as a whole.Another form
of nationalsport is sepak takraw.[11]
The rules are similar to volleyball:
to keep the rattan ball in the air with the players' feet.
Popular modernsports in Indonesia playedat the internationallevel
include football(soccer),badminton and basketball.[12]
Badmintonis
one of Indonesia'smostsuccessfulsports.Indonesianbadminton
athletes have played in Indonesia Open Badminton Championship,All
England Open BadmintonChampionships,and many international
events,including the Summer Olympicsand won Olympic gold
medals since badmintonwas made an Olympic sportin 1992.Rudy
Hartono is a legendary Indonesianbadminton player,who won All
England titles seven times in a row (1968 through1974). Indonesian
teams have won the ThomasCup (men's world team championship)
thirteen of the twenty-two times that it has been contested since they
entered the series in 1957.[13]
In the hugely internationally popular
sportof football(soccer),Indonesianteams have been active in
the Asian FootballConfederation (AFC).
Sporting eventsin Indonesiaare organised by the Indonesian
National SportCommittee (KONI). The Committee,along with the
governmentof Indonesia,have seta National Sports Day on every 9
September with "Sports for All" as the motto. Indonesia has hosted
the SoutheastAsian Games four times, in 1979,1987,1997 and 2011,
and won overallchampion title in each of these years.As of 2011,
Indonesiahas won champion titles 10 times overallout of 18 SEA
Games it has attended since debutedin 1977.The country also
hosted the 1993 Asian BasketballChampionship.[14]
Cuisine[edit]
Main article: Indonesian cuisine
In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International
chose Rendang as the number one dish of their 'World’s 50 Most Delicious
Foods' list.
Nasi goreng (fried rice), one of the most popular Indonesian dishes.
Soto and Satay, together with Nasi Goreng are considered as Indonesiannational
dishes.
The cuisine of Indonesia has been influenced by Chinese
culture and Indian culture,as well as byWestern culture.However,in
return,Indonesiancuisine has also contributedto the cuisines of
neighbouringcountries,notably Malaysia and Singapore,where
Padang or Minangkabau cuisine from West Sumatra is very popular.
Also Satay (Sate in Indonesian),which originated from Java,Madura,
and Sumatra,has gained popularity as a streetvendor food from
Singapore to Thailand.In the 15th century,both
the Portugueseand Arab traders arrivedin Indonesiawith the
intention of trading for pepper and other spices.During the colonial
era,immigrants from many countriesarrived in Indonesia and
broughtdifferentculturesas well as cuisines.
Mostnative Indonesianseat rice as the main dish,with a wide range
of vegetables and meatas side dishes.However,in some parts of the
country,such as Irian Jaya and Ambon, the majority of the people
eat sago (a type of tapioca)and sweetpotato.[15]

8. The mostimportantaspectof modernIndonesiancuisine is that food
must be halal,conforming to Islamic food laws. Haraam,the opposite
of halal, includes porkand alcohol.However,in some regionswhere
there is a significantnon-Muslim population,non-halalfoods are also
commonly served.
Indonesian dishesare usually spicy,using a wide range of chili
peppers and spices.The mostpopular dishes include nasi
goreng(fried rice), Satay,Nasi Padang (a dish of Minangkabau)and
soy-based dishes,such as tofu and tempe.A unique characteristic of
some Indonesian food is the application of spicy peanutsaucein their
dishes,as a dressingfor Gado-gado or Karedok (Indonesian style
salad),or for seasoning grilled chicken satay.Another uniqueaspect
of Indonesian cuisineis using terasi or belacan,a pungent shrimp
paste in dishes of sambaloelek(hot pungentchili sauce).The
sprinklingof fried shallots also gives a unique crisp textureto some
Indonesian dishes.
Chinese and Indian cultureshave influenced the servingof food and
the types of spices used.It is very commonto find Chinesefood in
Indonesiasuch as Dim Sum and noodles,and Indian cuisine such
as Tandoorichicken.In addition,Western culture has significantly
contributed to the extensiverangeof dishes.However,the dishes
have been transformed to suit Indonesian tastes.For example,steaks
are usually servedwith rice.Popular fastfoods such as Kentucky
Fried Chicken are servedwith rice instead of bread and sambal(spicy
sauce)instead of ketchup.Some Indonesian foods havebeen
adopted by the Dutch,like Indonesianrice table or 'rijsttafel'.
Popular media[edit]
Cinema[edit]
Main article: Cinema of Indonesia
The film Tjoet Nja' Dhien (1988) tell the story about the struggle
ofAcehnese female guerilla leaderCut Nyak Dhien, an Indonesian national hero.
The largestchain of cinemas in Indonesia is 21Cineplex,which has
cinemas spreadthroughouttwenty-fourcities on the major islands of
Indonesia.Manysmaller independentcinemasalso exist.
In the 1980s,the film industry in Indonesia was at its peak,and
dominated the cinemas in Indonesia with movies that have retained a
high reputation,such as Catatan Si Boy and Blok M and actors like
Onky Alexander,Meriam Bellina,Nike Ardilla and Paramitha
Rusady.[16]
The film TjoetNja' Dhien (1988)winning 9 Citra Awards at
the 1988 Indonesian Film Festival.[17]
It was also the first Indonesian
movie chosen for screeningat the Cannes Film Festival,[17]
where it
was awardedBest InternationalFilm in 1989.[18]
However,the film
industry failed to continue its successesin the 1990s,when the
number ofmovies produceddecreased significantly,from 115 movies
in 1990 to just 37 in 1993.[19]
As a result,most movies produced in the
1990s contained adultthemes.In addition,movies
from Hollywood and Hong Kong started to dominate Indonesian
cinema.The industry startedto recover in the late 1990s,with the rise
of independentdirectorsand many new movies produced,such
as Garin Nugroho's Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti,Riri Riza and Mira
Lesmana's PetualanganSherina and Arisan!byNia Dinata.[16]
Another
form of recovery is the re-establishmentof the Indonesian Film
Festival (FFI), inactive for twelve years,and the creation of the Jakarta
InternationalFilm Festival. Daun di Atas Bantal (1998) received The
Best Movie award in the 1998 Asia Pacific Film Festival in Taipei.[20]
Television[edit]
Main article: Television inIndonesia
Radio[edit]
The state radio network Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) was founded
in 1945.It consists of a networkof regionalstations locatedin all
thirty-three provincesof the archipelago.In most cities and large
towns there are also many commercialstations.Since 2006,
several digital radio stations have been based
in Jakartaand Surabaya,using DigitalAudio Broadcasting (DAB) and
Hybrid HD-Radio.[21][22][23]

9. Religion and philosophy[edit]
Main articles: Religionin Indonesia and Indonesian philosophy
Islam is Indonesia's main religion,with almost88% of Indonesians
declared Muslim according to the 2000 census,[24]
making Indonesia
the most populousMuslim-majority nation in the world.The
remainingpopulation is 9% Christian (of which roughly two-thirds
are Protestantwith the remaindermainly Catholic,and a large
minority Charismatic),2% Hinduand 1% Buddhist.
The Pancasila,the statementof two principleswhich encapsulatethe
ideology of the Indonesian state,affirms that "The state shallbe
based on the belief in the one and only God".