The first day of the Frans Seda Seminar 2016 started for the Indonesian participants on Saturday the 4th of June at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for check-in. After arrival at the hotel in The Hague on Sunday the Dutch participants joined for lunch.
At 13:30 o’clock the seminar was officially opened by the chairman Dolf Huijgers. He told us about the life of Frans Seda and how the foundation was founded after the dead of Frans Seda in 2009. The logo of the bridges was explained and the theme for this year’s seminar, “Identity without borders”. Dolf questioned what a border is by illustrating the Dutch Queen entering the Netherlands, after 5 years of exile in England, on the 13th of March 1945 by crossing a border made of flour.
Next was the introduction of the moderators Mahendra and Karen with questions asked by the participants. We as participants were asked to walk around the room for a speed-date type of introduction. It was a bit awkward at the start but we ended by interviewing a cross-participant and then introducing one another in front of the group.
After the Dutch participants checked in we walked to the Mauritshuis for a guided tour of the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age. Different paintings from Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen were explained by the guides. The painting “The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man” made by the masters Jan Brueghel & Peter Paul Rubens, brings the best of both within this masterpiece painting. Something the Indonesian and Dutch participants are also planning on for this seminar!
On our way back to the hotel we walked across the Binnenhof, The House of Representatives. Arriving at the hotel we were invited for diner were the vice-Chairman Steve Ginting welcomed all participants and toasted on a successful and fruitful seminar. During the diner Mahendra started a discussion about Identity Cards and the kind of information it shares. We found out that there is a big difference between Indonesian and Dutch cards, talking about identity without borders….