By Max Ediger Kasepuhan Ciptagelar is a traditional Sundanese community in West Java, Indonesia. The people here maintain their ancient traditions under the rule of a young king by the name of Abah Ugih. He inherited the position from his father. The king, called Father by the villagers, is a humble man who spends much…
Tag: Indonesia
How do you see God?
By Rachel Bergen From an early age, Lioni Tobing was curious about who exactly God is. She would wonder funny things about her Creator like, “Does God drink coffee or tea? Does God like cookies?” But never got the answers she needed, nor did she feel comfortable asking people in her church these types of…
Promoting Dialogue and Diversity in Papua
By: Rachel Bergen Laela Tambawang was born into an interfaith family in West Papua, Indonesia, so it’s no surprise she eventually participated in ICF’s School of Peace. “I’m Muslim but my mom is Christian until she became Muslim,” Laela explains. “My grandma is Christian and helped me learn about my own religion. She taught me…
Promoting Peace through Pesantrens
By Rachel Bergen When Anick Ht sees images of churches burning on the news, he knows what viewers will think. The culprits: probably Muslim. Muslims: probably dangerous. Islam: obviously promotes violence. But this isn’t the Islam Anick grew up with. While it may seem as though radical Islam is taking over the world, he believes…
Alumnus to take part in YSEALI academic fellowship
ICF wants to formally congratulate Gunawan “Wawan” Primasatya on his Young Southeast Asia Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) academic fellowship. At the end of April the School of Peace 2010 alumnus from Poso, Indonesia left his home to participate in the leadership training program. He will take part in a five week institute, held on the campus of…
Papuan alumnus wins at photography competition
SOP 2012 alumna and photographer Barce Rumkabu from Papua won three awards for his entries in the Protection of Ecosystem and Nature at Biak Island photography exhibition in February. According to Barce, the purpose of this competition was to promote Biak island as a tourist destination and to protect them for future generations. Biak island is in…
Interfaith partnerships in Indonesia
By Sara Klassen, edited by Rachel Bergen Before she went to School of Peace, Suwarti Ningsih says she was almost a fundamentalist in her identity as a Christian. “If Muslims came to our house we had to be careful. My mom taught me like that. I could not directly accept what they would talk about….