Pontianak, where Indonesia shall learn…

My friends and relatives know clearly how often I still awake at the late night, only to think of weird thoughts. Tonight, I am writing from the island of paradise, Bali; laying lazily in the romantic bed on Ubud area after spending 12 hours visit to a very secret garden, which I believe will soon be ‘hip’.

I joke to people, like we are on escape from tomorrow’s big demonstration in Jakarta. Once, I was thinking, “Is Ahok upset for the riot comes to bring him down? Are his families crying over him?” For Ahok has apologized, I personally disagree of the riot against him.

This reminds me on more things about my hometown. Along this year, I meet hundreds of new people and tell them that I born in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Not many things I can be proud of this city; different with my partner coming from Lombok where he has tons of interesting story to promote for. Yet, tonight, I finally find what makes my hometown should get a spotlight. It is diversity.

In Pontianak, three big tribes live together peacefully. Dayak, Melayu and Tionghua tribes, have extremely different traditions and celebrations. I still remember, my mom visited her associates in Eid Fitr, my Moslem friends accompanied me watching dragon dance in Lunar New Year, and I was excited coming to the big Dayaknese exhibition held in the Borneo long-house called Radakng.

Every Lunar New Year, tourists from all over Indonesia always come to Pontianak and Singkawang, only to experience the atmosphere and visit the local night culinary, which I bet you will never get anywhere else. All in all, Pontianak is just the best city so far that managed to express the real value of unity in diversity.

Not being ethnocentric, but I am in the view that Indonesian people shall learn more about multiculturalism from a small city called Pontianak.