MERDEKA: An Evening for Indonesian Independence Day
Description
An update · 15 August
Yesterday a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores, causing loss of life and widespread damage across the island.
After speaking with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, we will go ahead with tomorrow's evening · but not as we planned it. MERDEKA is now a fundraiser.
Entry is free. Anyone who has already bought a ticket will be refunded in full. Every donation made on the night goes directly to the relief effort in Flores.
We will begin the evening with a moment for those affected.
Independence Day is about a people who have carried each other through a great deal. Tomorrow we gather in that spirit, and we hope you will join us.
What does freedom sound like across generations?
An intimate gathering at Hotel Jakarta Amsterdam marking Hari Kemerdekaan, on Java-eiland, at the former departure point of the ships to Jakarta.
This is not a party. It is a listening room.
For 1945 · 45 places · Sunday 16 August
The evening takes place in Malabar, the skybar on the eighth floor, named after the volcano in West Java. Glass on every side, the IJ below, and the city laid out beyond it. For one night it belongs entirely to us.
A seated listening session with the Indonesian selector Sekan. A break for dinner in the hotel's Indonesian restaurant. And a closing solo performance by the cellist Alfian Emir Adytia, played against archival film footage from before Indonesian independence, as the sun goes down over the water.
The intention is to honour the day quietly and with care, through the music that carries Indonesian memory across generations and across the diaspora.
Merdeka.
The room
Malabar sits on the eighth floor of Hotel Jakarta, named after a two-thousand-metre volcano in West Java, south of Bandung. Glass on every side. The IJ directly below, the city beyond it, and on a clear August evening the sun setting over the water while the cello plays.
The hotel itself stands at the head of Java-eiland, on the quay where the ships to Jakarta once departed. It is named for the city and built around the connection between two countries. On 16 August, it is the only building in Amsterdam where this evening could happen.
The evening
- 5:30 pm
Arrival · Malabar
A welcome drink. Indonesian records play as the room gathers.
- 6:00 pm
Listening session with Sekan · Malabar
A seated, curated session of around ninety minutes. Sekan is a DJ and artistic researcher whose work approaches music from the Indonesian archipelago and diaspora not only as sound, but as heritage, resistance and collective memory. His selections move across generations and geographies, from protest songs to diaspora recordings.
- 7:30 pm
Dinner · Malabar
Indonesian food from Café Jakarta, served upstairs in the bar. Dinner is ordered on the night and paid separately, so you choose what you'd like and what you spend.
- 8:30 pm
Alfian Emir Adytia (Emir Cello) · Malabar
Archival film from before Indonesian independence plays as the room settles, then a solo cello performance closing the evening, as the sun sets over the IJ.
- 9:30 pm
Close
Lineup
Sekan
Father, Founder, Director, DJ and artistic researcher. Sekan treats music from the Indonesian archipelago and diaspora as a form of heritage, resistance and collective memory, moving between protest songs from West Papua, Moluccan rock and roll, and Javanese-Surinamese funk. He has presented this work in institutional settings including a listening session within the Generasi 3.0 exhibition. Photo Credit: Jordan Surentu
Alfian Emir Adytia - Emir Cello
Indonesian cellist and composer based in The Hague, trained at the Royal Conservatoire. A prize-winner at the Bartók World Competition in Budapest, he has performed at the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. His album Decolmuseum tells the story of his own ancestors who fought for Indonesian independence, weaving Indonesian folk traditions through contemporary classical form. Photo Credit: Sandra Uittenboogaart
What does your ticket include
Your ticket covers the full programme: the listening session, the closing performance, and a welcome drink on arrival.
Indonesian food from Café Jakarta will be served upstairs in Malabar through the evening. This is ordered on the night and charged separately, so you choose what you'd like and what you spend.
FAQs
- Is food included?
No. Your ticket covers the programme and a welcome drink. Indonesian food from Café Jakarta will be served upstairs in Malabar, ordered on the night and paid separately. Let us know at checkout if you're planning to eat so the kitchen can prepare.
- Can I come only for the performance?
The evening is designed as one arc and tickets cover the whole of it. We'd encourage you to come for the listening session.
- Is there an interval?
Yes. The dinner break runs from 19:30 to 20:30.
- Is the venue accessible?
Hotel Jakarta is fully accessible. If you have specific requirements, tell us at checkout or email events@wax.earth and we'll make sure everything is in place.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
