"The motherland" still holds a special place in the hearts of its diaspora community, with some Indonesians maintaining a fierce sense of national and cultural pride, even after decades of living abroad.

It was 1981 when Tiur Ratu Munthe moved to Australia and settled there with her family. They made the move following racially motivated political upheaval that her husband, a Chinese-Indonesian, had experienced in 1974.

But even after years of living in the “Land Down Under” and despite the racism they experienced in Indonesia, Tiur is still proud of her Indonesian origin.

From The Weekender

Between the screen and the streets: What it means to watch and not march

What does it mean to care from a distance? A reflection on privilege and digital solidarity.

Read on The Weekender

“Although I’ve lived in Australia for almost half a century, I still hold on to my Indonesian culture. It’s far, but it’s still in my heart,” said 70-year-old Tiur, who is of Batak ethnicity.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), around 9 million Indonesians were living abroad as of September 2021. Members of the Indonesian diaspora are sometimes thought of as having lost their sense of nationalism. However, some individuals prove that the opposite is true.

Homesickness

Indonesia’s diverse cultures are what Tiur misses the most. She found that the Indonesian diaspora community in Australia has grown over the last 15-20 years, and that this has helped her cope with homesickness.

Popular

Ahok questions Agus' flood mitigation stance in first debate

K-pop group BTS to make comeback in February

Agus cash assistance plan slammed by Ahok, Anies