By Shruti Menon Seeboo
The air inside Centrepoint Mall on the 6th and 7th of December 2025 was thick with the scent of ginger, coconut milk, and spices—a vibrant, culinary journey transported directly from the archipelago of Indonesia to the shores of Mauritius. The occasion was the Indonesian Cultural Festival, an event that transcended a simple market to become a testament to growing diplomatic and cultural connections across the Indian Ocean. The festival was strategically linked to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day in August, lending the event a profound sense of national pride and anticipation.
At the heart of the celebration was Mr. Lanang Seputro, the Chargé d’affaires en pied of the Indonesian Embassy in Antananarivo. Addressing the assembled guests, he set the tone perfectly. He spoke not just of two nations, but of neighbours united by the sea, rich in cultures, flavours, and traditions. He began his official address by stating, “Although I am based in Antananarivo, it is always a joy to be in Mauritius, a country that, like Indonesia, lives by the sea and is rich in cultures, flavours, and traditions. In many ways, we are neighbours across the Indian Ocean, and today we are very happy to bring a little taste of Indonesia to you.”
The event was purposefully structured around food and culture, elements Mr. Seputro identifies as powerful diplomatic tools. He refers to this as gastrodiplomacy, a concept where a shared meal facilitates connection faster than official policy. “When you taste nasi goreng, satay, or Indonesian snacks, you are not only enjoying a meal; you are experiencing our history, our spices, and the stories of our islands,” he told the crowd. With Indonesia boasting more than 17,000 islands and hundreds of ethnic groups, the festival aimed to offer a tantalising, if incomplete, snapshot through dances, traditional clothing, batik, and, most importantly, cuisine.
The true genesis of the festival, however, lay in the strong, active Indonesian community residing in Mauritius. Mr. Seputro revealed in an interview that the idea stemmed directly from the local community’s vibrant activity and his desire to give them a focused platform. “There are many Indonesian nationals residing here in Mauritius, and all of them actively involved with the daily activities,” he explained, noting that many work in the fishery industry or are productive housewives who maintain a busy social schedule, including regular gatherings. He continued, “We had an idea why don’t we start to make a concrete event, real activities who can promote Indonesia, not only the communities.”
The timing was strategic, not only coinciding with the momentum of the ASEAN Day celebrations, but also serving as a perfect cultural precursor to the 80th Independence Day anniversary. This provided the ideal vehicle to showcase Indonesian culture beyond the embassy walls. The positive feedback on the food, prepared by members of the community, was immediate. “The idea is from celebration of the ASEAN Day, okay, why don’t we have an Indonesian event just like that,” he recalled, noting that having the island’s only Indonesian restaurant, Sendok Emas, on board was perfectly aligned with the Embassy’s “gastrodiplomacy” policy.
This whole venture, Mr. Seputro stressed, was about taking the essential, first step. “We have to do the first step, right, the small step, to make the thousand steps, you have to start with one small step, yes, so that’s the basic idea that we have this event.” This inaugural festival served as a vital learning experience, promoting Indonesia to Mauritian people while also highlighting Mauritius as a tourist destination to Indonesians.
The diplomatic success was immediately evident in the distinguished attendance. The list of guests of honour underscored the high-level engagement the festival achieved, featuring the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mauritius, Mr. Dhananjay Ramful; the Ambassador of Japan, Mr. Kan Masahiro; the Secretary-General of IORA, H. E. Mr. Sanjiv Ranjan; the Deputy High Commission of Pakistan; and the Honorary Consuls, Mr. Oudoroa Apajee (Ivory Coast) and Marie Lynda Elisabeth Kok Shun (Namibia), alongside several prominent businessmen and women. Mr. Seputro noted that the presence of such high-level figures was deeply gratifying: “This is quite surprising, and quite pleasing for us,” he reflected, noting that people are now “more getting used” to Indonesian culture.
Mr. Seputro is keenly aware of the diverse culinary landscape in Mauritius and sees the festival as an opportunity to broaden the palate. He acknowledged that while many Mauritians travel to Bali, Indonesia has much more to offer. He sees the need for Indonesia to catch up in promoting its regional diversity, admitting, “We are actually a little bit late, but we catch up already.”
Looking ahead, the Embassy is focusing on sustained engagement. The festival accommodated individual entrepreneurs, and this model of mutual support is key to the future. “We’d like to accommodate the individual entrepreneur. That’s, I think, one of the suitable vehicle for them,” he affirmed. The two-day event, featuring six shared food and product booths, was carefully designed to be manageable for these small community ventures.
The evaluation process is already underway. “After this event, we will evaluate, we will assess which part that we can improve,” Mr. Seputro confirmed. The success of the first festival has already inspired larger aspirations: “Maybe next, you know, maybe we can have two or three events in one year, so with different places, different segment of the market, different products.”
Mr. Lanang Seputro concluded his official speech by expressing his profound gratitude to the Honorary Consul, Mr. Salim Joonas, Sendok Emas, Centrepoint Mall, and the hard-working Indonesian community, who were the engine of the event. To all guests, he offered a warm diplomatic close that perfectly summed up the festival’s spirit: “Silakan menikmati – please enjoy the performances, the food, and the warm hospitality of Indonesia.” The festival was more than just a gathering; it was an investment in deeper cross-cultural friendship, built one conversation and one shared, spicy meal at a time, and a proud precursor to a momentous national anniversary.
