Jakarta, 7 September 2023 – Journalists covering the 43rd ASEAN Summit in 2023 said the souvenirs they received from the organizers of the Media Center for the 43rd ASEAN Summit support their work.
Anton, a journalist from Portal Indonesia, explained that every registered journalist of the 43rd ASEAN Summit received a light brown cloth goodie bag. Inside the bag were a small note book, a tumbler, a fridge magnet, a pin, a scarf, a pen, a collapsible cup, a small electric fan, a power bank, a cardholder, wireless earphones, and hand sanitizer.
“They’re useful for field reporting. Some are promotional products from state-owned enterprises,” said Anton at the Media Center for the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, on Thursday (7 September 2023).
Similarly, Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Pro3 journalist Saviera Amalia was also pleased with the variety of souvenirs. “The souvenirs are quite diverse, with the power bank, the pen, the notebook, and more. All can still be useful even after the event ended,” said Vira, her nickname, while showing off her earphones and electric fan.
Meanwhile, Kompas Daily reporter Fx Laksana Saputra admitted to liking the design of the large light brown Roro Kenes bag that packed all the souvenirs. The thick woven fabric combined with lurik (traditional Javanese striped cloth) makes the bag look sturdy and can be repurposed as a shopping bag.
The various lurik motifs that adorn the front of the bag are expected to introduce the diversity of Indonesian traditional textiles to a broader audience. “The older ladies will surely like this because the design is attractive, and the size is also quite large. At first glance, it looks like a jute sack, but it’s not ," said the journalist with the nickname Timboel.
He compared the souvenirs to the ones he received when covering the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which had almost the same contents. “But this one has a Betawi batik scarf,” he said.
The Betawi batik scarf, also known as cukin, was made by NLine Gallery. The scarf was chosen as a souvenir to give journalists a memento of Jakarta, the host city of this year’s ASEAN Summit.
The cukin is adorned with images of iconic Betawi symbols that characterize Jakarta, such as ondel-ondel (giant effigies), delman (horse-drawn carriages), tanjidor (traditional Betawi music ensemble), fireworks, balloons, and flowers, all in vibrant and eye-catching colors.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit also supports the progress of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by including original Indonesian MSME products as part of the souvenirs. The goal is clear, to show the wider community that the quality of MSME products has met international standards and is worthy of being showcased in a summit-class event.
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For more information, please contact:
Director General of Public Information and Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics – Usman Kansong (0816785320).
Get more information at http://asean2023.id, https://infopublik.id/kategori/asean-2023, and https://indonesia.go.id/kategori/ragam-asean-2023
Photo caption: A journalist from TV One Windu Rusandi shows off the souvenirs from the 43rd ASEAN Summit at the Media Center for the 43rd ASEAN Summit, Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, on Thursday (7 September 2023. (Photo: Agus Siswanto, InfoPublik)