Every April 25, Australia commemorates Anzac Day as a national day in memory of soldiers who died in war, particularly at the battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. Anzac Day is often associated with values such as “mateship”. However, can these values also be found in Indonesian culture?
“What makes this Anzac Day commemoration interesting is that the actual military offensive at Gallipoli at that time was a failure historically,” said Dr Charlotte Setijadi, lecturer in Asian Studies at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne.
Meanwhile, according to Agung Aksara, “In Indonesia we have the term 'where the earth is stepped, where the sky is headed'. Since we are already in Australia, we cannot live as Indonesians alone. We have to follow the Australian culture, and commemorate what they are commemorating.”
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