Thousands of WNI and Patrick Kluivert Attend RI Anniversary Commemoration Event in the Netherlands

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Embassy (Embassy) of the Republic of Indonesia held a commemoration event for Republic of Indonesia's 80th Anniversary at Sekolah Indonesia Den Haag (SIDH) on Sunday (17/8/2025) in the morning local time. In addition to 3,600 WNI participants, the event was also attended by former Dutch national player who is now the coach of the Indonesian football team, Patrick Kluivert.

The event began with a flag-raising ceremony at 10:00 local time. The RI Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mayerfas, acted as inspector of ceremonies. While Colonel Cpm Ade San Arief as commander of ceremonies.

The 80th anniversary commemoration event held in SIDH is widely attended by WNI because it coincides with Sunday. “Not only WNI, the event was also attended by important figures who stole the attention of the participants of the event, among others: Coach of the Indonesian National Football Team Patrick Kluivert along with Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat; two players of the Indonesian Women's National Team, Claudia Alexandra Scheunemann and Keysha Bulgami,” KBRI RI for the Netherlands said in a press statement received by Republika on Monday (18/8/2025).

The celebration of the RI Anniversary in SIDH looked lively as the participants attended wearing batik and other traditional clothing of the archipelago. “As an annual tradition, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia leads the procession of tupeng tasyakuran cutting, which is then presented to the six winners of the Ambassador's Award in 2025, Patrick Kluivert and Claudia Alexandra Scheunemann, as a symbol of gratitude for independence,” the Embassy of Indonesia said.

In addition to the typical 17 August contest, the celebration of the RI Anniversary in SIDH is also enlivened with bazaars and exhibitions of works by SIDH students. Indonesian specialties are also provided for the audience such as satay, rendang, bakso, pempek, ice teler, and other Nusantara snacks.

On the entertainment stage, there are performances of SIDH student bands, lute flute music, DJ corner, pop music, Nusantara fashion show. The combination of regional dances to dangdut enlivens the event. Tabola Bole's joint jog or flash mob by Dharma Women's Mothers of the Union of KBRI Den Haag, Paskibra, KBRI staff, and visitors increasingly celebrated the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of RI at SIDH.

“This celebration not only commemorates the struggle of the heroes, but also strengthens the brotherhood of fellow children of the nation at the same time,” said the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mayerfas.