KBRI Colombia Celebrates the 81st Indonesia's Independence Day

RRI CO.ID, Bogota - Indonesian Ambassador to Colombia, Tatang Budie Utama Razak on Monday, August 17, 2026 delivered his condolences to the earthquake that happened in Colombia last week. He made the statement during the commemoration of the 81st Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day in Bogota attended by around 250 Indonesian citizens and Colombians as well as a number of VIP invitees such as ambassadors, mayors, rectors and other groups.

"First and foremost, let me express our deepest condolences for the earthquake that happened in Colombia on 10 August. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and we have unwavering confidence that the Government and the people of Colombia will overcome this difficult moment with unity and resilience." Ambassador Tatang on the opening remarks said.

He also said that global order is being tested. According to him, people in different parts of the world are suffering, because of natural disasters, human-made disasters, extreme climate change which caused forest fires and floods, earthquakes, diseases, and many other causes.

"Amidst this situation, Indonesia consistently fights for its constitutional mandate, which states that independence is a genuine right of all nations and any form of alien occupation should thus be erased from the earth. Indonesia is also determined to educate the nation and to participate in carrying out a world order based on freedom, eternal peace, and social justice, through a free and active foreign policy and on the basis of our Pancasila, or the

five-principles as our state foundation." Ambassador Tatang conveyed.

In addition, he said Indonesia also actively assists various countries in disaster or conflict situations, including and especially to Palestine.

"We do not only provide logistical assistance, but also sent a hospital ship to Palestine after our Indonesian Hospital was destroyed by Israel. Indonesia has also provided scholarships to hundreds of Palestinian students to prepare themselves as future leaders of Palestine. All of these are done while Indonesia stands at the forefront in multilateral forums to voice out Palestine’s right to self-determination and the swift implementation of the two-state solution." Ambassador stated.

While, after the flag raising ceremony, the event was continued with typical Indonesian competitions such as tug of war, marbles competition, Tobelo dance for chairs, balloon games, etc.

The symphony group from the Tocaima Mayor's Office (Banda Sinfónica de la Alcaldía de Tocaima) joined to enliven the celebration by playing the national anthem Indonesia Raya at the flag raising ceremony, as well as presenting Indonesian patriotic songs which made the commemoration ceremony even more lively.

Meanwhile, Colombian students and Indonesian Embassy dance group performed the Tabola Bale and Gemu Fa Mi Re dances while inviting the audience to dance with these Indonesian dances which are starting to be popular in Colombia. Invited guests and ceremony participants also had the opportunity to enjoy typical Indonesian dishes.

A number of Colombian guests even expressed their desire to enjoy Indonesian culinary delights more often and asked about the existence of Indonesian restaurants in Bogota. Unfortunately, until now there is no restaurant that specifically serves Indonesian culinary delights in Bogota.

According to a release received by RRI Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, this celebration received appreciation from both Indonesian citizens and other invited guests and was used as a form of diplomacy in order to strengthen relations between Indonesia and Colombia.