Yayasan Widya Mitra

The Indonesian-Dutch Cultural Centre Widya Mitra in Semarang

The current cultural centre is a development from the Dutch library, which was a facility of the Dutch consulate in Semarang. It was frequented by people who spoke and read Dutch. In 1974 the consulate was officially closed, but the library was retained. Later on, Dutch language classes were held there. In 1993, thanks to the inspiring leadership of H. Soemario, who had been concerning himself with the teaching of Dutch in Semarang, a Dutch Department was added to the Akademi Bahasa 17 Agustus 1945 in Semarang.

The expanding collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Erasmus Huis and the Erasmus Language Centre in Jakarta necessitated the establishment of a cultural foundation. Therefore on 5 June 1995 the Yayasan Budaya Indonesia-Belanda/Eropa was founded. Its first chairman, who was also one of the founders, was H. Soemario. The foundation aims to bring the Dutch culture closer to the inhabitants of Semarang and Central Java and to promote the collaboration between Indonesian and Dutch artists, researchers and writers. The Yayasan Budaya Indonesia-Belanda/Eropa is financially supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy.

In 1998 the cultural centre was established with the name “Widya Mitra”. This name was chosen because the mission of the centre is to share knowledge (widya) with the community, in cooperation with valuable partners (mitra).

The Board

The organisation of Board of the Yayasan Budaya Indonesia-Belanda/Eropa is as follows:

• Advisors: Prof. Dr. Istiati Soetomo, Dr. Teguh S. Rahardjo

• Chairperson: Prof. Dr. A.M. Djuliati Suroyo
• Secretary: lic. Widjajanti Dharmowijono
• Treasurer: Prof. Dr. Liliana Tedjosaputro SH. M.H.
• Member: P.J. Marjoto

The cultural centre is attended to by the following staff:

• Cultural Coordinator: Satrio Seno Prakoso, S.S.
• Coordinator for Language Courses: Daniel F.M. Tangkilisan, M.A..
• Assistant: Dedy Sulaeman

Address

Jl. Singosari II/12

Semarang 50241

Phone/Fax: +62 (0)24 8450491

E-mail:

widyamitra@plasa.com

Opening hours

Monday – Friday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Saturday 9 -11.30 p.m.

Closed on Sundays and holidays.

Activities

In cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Erasmus Huis, the Erasmus Language Centre and local institutions, Widya Mitra organises cultural activities the whole year through, such as concerts, masterclasses, exhibitions and lectures by musicians, artists, writers and researchers from the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, Indonesia and even South-Africa. Other activities are focused on history and conservation of cultural heritage. An example of one such activity is the Semarang Heritage Walk, which is intended to stimulate young people to know and appreciate the valuable old buildings in the city.

Library

Widya Mitra facilitates a library which is open for the public, with more than 6000 copies of books, several Dutch and Indonesian newspapers, and many sorts of new magazines in Dutch, English and Bahasa Indonesia. There is a particularly good collection of textbooks on history. Widya Mitra also has a film library in cooperation with Kronik Kine Klub Semarang, with more than 600 films from Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. The genres are feature films, documentaries, short films and experimental films.

Language Courses

Widya Mitra organizes courses in communicative Dutch and Dutch as a source language in regular as well as private classes and in-company training. There are also preparation classes for the civic integration examination, which is required for those who wish to settle in the Netherlands. The lecturers are alumni of universities in Indonesia, the Netherlands and Belgium and follow continuous training in the Netherlands and at the Erasmus Language Centre. The books and methods are also used in the Netherlands to teach Dutch as a second language. Widya Mitra organizes courses in Bahasa Indonesia for communication as well. Widya Mitra is open for registration every working day.