Surabaya - The Banyuwangi Diaspora Festival, which is held every time the beginning of Shawwal, is back again. This year, hundreds of migrants from Blambangan gathered to miss their homeland and strengthen solidarity and networking at the Shaba Swagata Blambangan Hall on Thursday (3/4/2025).
Not only those from a number of cities in Indonesia, but also diaspora who are active in various parts of the world were present. Either present in person or participating virtually. The majority of them are members of the Banyuwangi Family Association (Ikawangi)
‘Ikawangi is not only established in almost all major cities in Indonesia. But, it is also present in all continents of the world. They are able to show their work well,’ said one of the Ikawangi elders, Major General (Ret.) Rusdy Maksum.
Many of the Banyuwangi diaspora are active in various professional fields and are entrepreneurs in various countries. In fact, many have also become public officials. Like Dami Sundari Frese from Tegaldlimo District, who is now pursuing a career in Germany. She is a professional at a multinational company.
‘Currently, we are very proud to represent our homeland in the world. I think that the people of Banyuwangi are no less competitive professionally than the people of the world,’ said the woman who has lived in Europe for seven years.
The same thing was also said by Dian Novita, who is currently pursuing a career in the United States. Not only pursuing a professional career, in the land of Uncle Sam, she is also proud to introduce Banyuwangi's culture, from the gandrung dance to the barong.
‘Our culture is enthusiastically and kindly accepted by the people of the United States. This certainly encourages us to introduce Banyuwangi,’ said the Banyuwangi Cerdas scholarship recipient.
In this Diaspora Festival, there were also Banyuwangi people who are public officials. Such as the Deputy Mayor of Sorong, Papua, Haji Sutejo, and the Deputy Mayor of Pasuruan, Mokhamad Nawawi.
There was also Inspector General Ibnu Suhendra, Deputy for Enforcement and Capacity Building of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. There was also the Deputy Regent of Lamandau, Central Kalimantan, Abdul Hamid, and others who also greeted the Banyuwangi diaspora from various regions and countries.
‘Praise be to God, the Banyuwangi people in Sorong and in Papua in general get along well. They also make real contributions to the local area,’ said Haji Sutejo, who is also a former Persewangi servant from the 90s from Wonosobo, Srono.
Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandani said that the participation of the diaspora is very important for the development of Banyuwangi. ‘We are very proud of the achievements of the Banyuwangi diaspora in their places of residence. They have become ambassadors who make the region proud,’ said Ipuk.
Ipuk hopes that this meeting of the diaspora will help strengthen regional development. “Not only is it an opportunity for mutual applause, but it also strengthens family ties and synergy for Banyuwangi going forward,” he pleaded.
One way is by activating CSR Mobile via the Smart Kampung application to help the poor. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, both institutionally and personally, you can help the poor in Banyuwangi directly in a transparent and accountable manner,’ said Ipuk. (MC East Java Province / hjr-her / eyv)