Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Visits UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 3, 2017) -- The consul general of the Republic of Indonesia, Rosmalawati Chalid, will visit the University of Kentucky March 5-6 to meet with university leadership and to visit the Indonesian community of UK and Lexington. Chalid will be joined by Fajar Yusuf, consul for information, social and cultural affairs.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the Indonesian diplomats to our campus,” said Sue Roberts, UK's associate provost for internationalization. “UK has a long history of friendly relations with Indonesian universities, and we are pleased that Indonesian students find success here and enjoy being part of our campus community.”

During her visit, Chalid will meet with UK President Eli Capilouto to discuss the Indonesian community at UK and the city of Lexington. A small but vibrant community, Indonesian students have a strong presence at UK with the Indonesian Student Association (PERMIAS). The student organization has hosted a variety of campus events and engaged the Indonesian community in the Lexington area.

While in Lexington, the Indonesian delegation will visit a batik art exhibition at Global Lex, a multilingual, multidisciplinary center where local residents and Lexington's growing global population celebrate cultural events, share an art gallery and socialize. A reception will be held at Global Lex (1306 Versailles Rd.) at 5 p.m. March 6, where Chalid will discuss batik and Indonesia.

Batik art is considered both an art and a craft, in which wax and dye are used to decorate cloth. It is a tradition that has been practiced in Indonesia for many centuries, and some of the finest batik cloth is still being made in Java, Indonesia.

Elizabeth Leibach, director of International Student and Scholar Services at UK, said Indonesian students are an active part of the UK community, and Chalid’s visit means a lot to them. She said she hopes it will open the minds of all students to a different culture and its artistic traditions.

”Our Indonesian students are an active part of the UK community. We appreciate the consul general’s gracious offerings of batik art that will be available to UK students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater community through our partnership with Global Lex,” Leibach said.