INDONESIA - Evan Worldwide Global Youth Perspectives

Located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia and formerly known as the Dutch East Indies, the Republic of Indonesia is made up of approximately 17,500 islands.  Indonesia boasts the second largest coastlines in the world.  It is home to the largest volcanic lakes on earth and is considered the hottest spot on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Culturally, Indonesia is extremely diverse as it is home to over 1300 recognized ethic groups with over 700 different languages and dialects.

Hailing from Jakarta located on the island of Java, my friend Antonio shares with us how culturally significant rice is in his country and his love for instant noodles.  During our interview, Antonio had an uber driver call him about a food delivery and I just could not help but think of how similar young people my age are despite being on different sides of the world.  Antonio shared with us some of the conflicts in Indonesia along with the struggle for freedom of the neighboring island of West Papua. Antonio explained some ongoing social issues relating to race and religion within Indonesia, and gave amazing insight into his own views on religion and human rights.