Garuda Festival at HSE University: Getting to Know Indonesian Culture
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For the first time, HSE University has hosted the Garuda festival, where Indonesian students in Moscow could talk about their culture. The embassy of Indonesia helped organise the festival.
Garuda, an evening of Indonesian culture, took place at the HSE University building on Pokrovsky Bulvar. It was organised by students from HSE University’s Indonesian national club, with support from Indonesian students from the People’s Friendship University of Russia.
Guests were immersed in the festive atmosphere, enjoying performances by musical groups from Indonesia and the Malin Kundang folk theatre. There was also a fashion show, and in the lobby, visitors were invited to try Indonesian treats and learn about national musical instruments and clothing.
Azzahra Afidah Faizah, third-year student of HSE University’s Bachelor's in International Relations and creator of the festival, said that she decided to involve Indonesian students from other universities in Moscow in organising the event. ‘There are very few of us in Russia at the moment, but we wanted to share our culture with everyone.’
Students from other universities also came to the festival. Azzahra noted that most Indonesian students coming to study in Russia begin to learn Russian even before admission.
‘It was, of course, very difficult. I asked my teacher to help me with the Russian language,’ she says. ‘Now I’m trying to find Russian friends so I can practice the language with them.’ Azzahra decided to move to Russia because she had previously wanted to become a diplomat. ‘If you want to study international relations, it is better to go abroad right away. This opens up opportunities to meet people from other countries,’ she believes.
Kirill Kisel, Director for Internationalisation at HSE University, gave a welcoming speech at the opening of the festival. ‘Studying at HSE University is not only about gaining knowledge, it is also an opportunity to get acquainted with new cultures and traditions. More than 5,000 international students study at HSE University, at five university campuses. We believe that each student will find like-minded people with whom they will conquer the heights of knowledge, gain new useful skills and abilities, and also enjoy studying, learn foreign languages and customs, and have fun at international student festivals,’ he said.
HSE University is actively developing cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. HSE University in St Petersburg is building a partnership with the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, a leading university in the field of science and technology in Indonesia. The partnership includes joint research, exchange of international experience, and increasing international academic mobility of students, teachers, and scientists. In May of this year, an official HSE University-St Petersburg delegation led by Director Anna Tyshetskaya took part in partner week at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute.
The HSE News Service spoke to students about their interest in Indonesian culture and their impressions of the Garuda festival.
Kira Zakharkova, first-year student of Design, HSE Art and Design School
I have recently taken an interest in different cultures, so it was a good to have the chance to attend this festival for free. This is my first experience of Indonesian culture, but several years ago I talked to some Indonesian people online in English. Honestly, I’m in a great mood today. I saw people in colourful costumes—it’s amazing, they all look very beautiful. I’m delighted.
Mark Simankov, first-year student of Sociology, HSE University
I got a notification about today’s event in my university email. My Friday evening was free, and I decided that such a colourful festival could brighten it up. I am very interested in Indonesian culture and Eastern philosophy in particular. It is very close to my spirit. I have been interested in both cultural studies and Asian studies for a long time. What interested me most today was the fashion show: it was fascinating to see what creative things people came up with. I’ve already walked around here a little, tried some snacks, and learned about coffee and traditional clothing.
Pavel Lipatov, first-year student of World Economy, HSE University
I am interested in Indonesian culture as a complex of cultures from Southeast Asian countries. First of all, this is an interesting phenomenon—a combination of different cultural manifestations in one place. I have read a lot about Indonesia, and I have been interested in this country since childhood. I really love its flora and fauna—it is extremely diverse there. The geographical position of Indonesia is also interesting. It is a gigantic number of islands. This is simply amazing. And now I have managed to study national instruments, including fish-skin analogues of Indian drums.
Viktoria Volkova, first-year student of Sociology, HSE University
I had never really been interested in Indonesian culture before, but I thought, ‘Why not?’ Everything here today is interesting, the people are smiling, and the atmosphere is positive. I also tried a sweet snack; it tasted and looked like profiteroles. In general, I like studying at HSE University—the pace is increasing and I am enjoying learning. School and university are very different from each other.
Nastya Chueva, first-year student of Design, HSE Art and Design School
I found out about today’s event from HSE Extra social media and it sounded cool, so here I am. I know absolutely nothing about Indonesian culture; it is all so new and unexpected, so I am very glad to be here today. What interested me most was the fashion show event, because I’m curious to see what their costumes look like, how the culture manifests itself.