Written by Lupita Witono From 28 to 31 March 2012, the National Museum of Singapore showcased Merdeka!, a special focus of six major film works by acclaimed Indonesian directors from two different eras: Usmar Ismail and Garin Nugroho. Regarded as the father of Indonesia cinema, Mr. Ismail started PERFINI, the first wholly Indonesian-owned film company [...]

Oleh Anastarsia Hartanto Tanggal 24 Desember 2011 lalu, Gramedia di seluruh Indonesia digemparkan oleh buku baru Raditya Dika. Para penggemar buku dari penulis kocak ini pasti sudah bikin tanda di kalender mereka dan langsung menyerbu Gramedia terdekat: nggak sedikit yang keburu kehabisan bukunya! Sama seperti judul-judul buku sebelumnya yang cukup unik, judul buku kali ini [...]

Written by Amanda Rizkita For the past few years, Indonesia has been joyfully witnessing the rise of local fashion brands—especially those targeted at younger audiences. Surely, we have many more choices to pick from, and this has contributed to the increased relevance of the catchphrase “national pride”, which previously perhaps was only applicable to achievements [...]

Oleh Raisa Tanawi Setelah hiatus sekian lama, grup jazz favorit Indonesia, Maliq & D’Essentials, kembali melantunkan nada manis di telinga kita dengan rilis mereka yang terakhir; album keempat dilengkapi buku otobiografi MALIQ dengan judul yang sama. Grup musik yang menganggap Michael Jackson, Kool and the Gang, dan Humania sebagai inspirasi ini tetap eksis dengan jadwal [...]

Written by Siti Fatimah Ayuningdyah A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to catch “Pocong Mandi Goyang Pinggul” (PMGP), a movie which created plenty of buzz for securing Sasha Grey, an American adult film siren, to star in it. I knew that from movies of such genre, I could expect that: 1. I [...]

Written by Putra Muskita Our very own Agnes Monica caused a splash in Indonesia earlier this week with an appearance as a guest host at the American Music Awards, probably the first time in the history of forever that an Indonesian pop star has managed to attend such a huge music industry event (let alone [...]

Written by Siti Fatimah Ayuningdyah Hello there, Diaspora! As our editor-in-chief has kindly reminded us through his editor’s letter, the month of October has arrived. For some of us that might mean that a school term is nearing an end and a shiz-load of project deadlines and exams are waiting. Isn’t that just depressing? However, [...]

Cat Socrates is a cute little independent shop, somewhat hidden in a corner of Bras Basah Complex. Popular among art students and enthusiasts of vintage memorabilia, the shop is arguably at the forefront of the indie store wave in Singapore, thanks to its strategic location and unique merchandise. Diaspora chatted with owner Hellen about the [...]

The fashion designer du jour makes history by becoming the very first person…to fill in our questionnaire. By Putra Muskita Name: Nina Nikicio Age: 25 Where are you based? Jakarta. What do you do? I am the Creative Director for Nikicio. How long did you live in Singapore? Four years. And after all the coming [...]

Written by Putra Muskita Transcript provided by Raisa Tanawi After Miss Indonesia Karenina Sunny Halim caused an uproar among Indonesians for requiring a translator to understand Indonesian, came her polar opposite: Puteri Indonesia Qory Sandioriva, who continued 2005′s Nadine Chandrawinata’s notoriety for, well, less-than-fluent English. Below is a transcript of her official Miss Universe interview, [...]