On the two-month anniversary of the Dec. 26 tsunami, MSU students launched an effort to rebuild a school in Aceh, Indonesia.
On Saturday at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, members of the MSU Indonesian Student Association sponsored a benefit luncheon. The benefit featured a silent auction of Indonesian art objects, an informational presentation and a traditional dance performance.
The money raised will go to a two-year "Adopt-A-School" program in coordination with the Aceh Relief Fund, which will rebuild the schools.
"Right now, the education system is taking place in temporary tents at the whim of the weather," association member Elan Satriawan said. "No one can imagine the magnitude of this disaster on education in Indonesia."
Satriawan, an agricultural economics graduate student, gave a short presentation on the current state of the education system in Aceh. According to his presentation, more than 1,800 teachers died in the tsunami, along with about 45,000 students. For those who survived, more than 2 million people have lost access to an education.
"Before students can concentrate on their studies, they have to feel safe," Satriawan said.
Peter Briggs, director of the MSU Office of International Students and Scholars, said he came to the event to show support.
"What these students are doing, on top of just being students, is impressive," Briggs said.
He said it is important for people not to forget about the continued problems in Indonesia and the rest of South Asia after media coverage stops.
"There is so much more to be done, and every little bit helps," Briggs said.
During the course of the presentations, attendees were encouraged to bid on the Indonesian art objects in a silent auction, with all proceeds going to the "Adopt-A-School" program. Items included jewelry handcrafted in Indonesia, as well as many styles of traditional sarongs and paintings from the country.
The event ended in a presentation of a traditional Javanese dance called the "Bambangan Cakil," taken from the Hindu epic "The Mahabharata." The island of Java is located in Indonesia.
In costumes of gold and silk, the performers danced and fought as they re-enacted the story of the hero Arjuna's battle with a demon while he meditated to gain peace in the forest.
"The dance represents the human soul's battle against evil," said dancer Wasi Bantolo.
Bantolo and his wife, Olivia Retno Widyastuti, are visiting faculty members at the University of Michigan, where they both teach "Gamelan," the traditional music and dance style of Java.
"We heard about the fund-raiser and thought it was a good way we could help out," Bantolo said.
Biochemistry sophomore Monika Tjota said, although the dance often is performed in her homeland of Indonesia, this was the first time she had seen it live.
"It was wonderful; parts of it were like a painting," Tjota said.
Tjota said she had come to the performance to join her friends from the Indonesian Student Association.
"It's wonderful what they are doing; they need our support." Tjota said.
