What do you know about African people and their culture?

How much do Russian people know about Indonesia, its people and culture?

• In reverse to Many Russians go to Bali for holiday, and I think there are even (seasonal) direct flight from many Russian cities. But what do most people actually know about the country? What is the image of Indonesia in Russia?

• Answer:

  Thanks so much for the A2A. In short: Indonesia is tropical, far-away country, exotic and fascinating. And, of course, there is a generally positive impression of Indonesian people... they are polite and welcoming to foreigners. But... Russians know a lot about Bali, but surprisingly little about the rest of Indonesia. To prove it, we could go to http://Yandex.ru, the Russian search engine and type индонезия культура http://yandex.ru/images/search?text=%C3%90%C2%B8%C3%90%C2%BD%C3%90%C2%B4%C3%90%C2%BE%C3%90%C2%BD%C3%90%C2%B5%C3%90%C2%B7%C3%90%C2%B8%C3%91%C2%8F+%C3%90%C2%BA%C3%91%C2%83%C3%90%C2%BB%C3%91%C2%8C%C3%91%C2%82%C3%91%C2%83%C3%91%C2%80%C3%90%C2%B0 meaning "Culture of Indonesia". As you can see most images we get are somehow related to Bali, and not the other places in Indonesia. What do Russians know about Indonesia? (1) Bali I believe, a significant group of Russians travelers have already been there (myself not included, yet). They usually share very exciting impressions about the place. (2) Geographical characteristics of Indonesia I think almost everyone in Russia is aware where Indonesia is... equatorial climate... main islands - I bet most people would be able to name them and to show each of them on the map. And, my guess is... the reason why most people learned that in school is that Indonesia and Russia are almost the opposites geographically. That is why it really fascinating to learn about the place so far away and different from your own. (3) Some cooperation projects in the past There were certainly a few cooperation projects between Soviet Union/Russia and Indonesia. Therefore, people on the Russian/Soviet side would learn a few things first-hand while working in Indonesia. But, I believe, there was a lot less cooperation between the two countries, compared to, say, Soviet-Indian cooperation at that time. Hence, less knowledge about Indonesia in general. What Russians don't know about Indonesia? First, I think that a surprisingly low number of people (and not only in Russia) are aware of the fact that Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population. Other things... (1) Cultural diversity of Indonesia This was somehow neglected in the school curriculum. I think that most people would have a clear image of a Balinese culture, but not other　cultures in Indonesia. (2) Business culture Almost a mystery at the moment. But certainly would add a lot of value to our mutual understanding given the economic cooperation opportunities. (3) General social knowledge about Indonesia There is a very little awareness, I believe, about the everyday life in Indonesia. What kind of jobs are people looking for? What kind of food do they eat every day? How many children would be typical for an Indonesian family? What are the recent changes in the society? And so on... To summarize: Indonesia has an overall positive, and I would say, a mysterious image among many Russians. However, the knowledge they have about the country is somewhat limited. It is a lot easier to see people talking about their impressions of Bali, but not the rest of Indonesia. These are just some of my own thoughts. Would be glad to get any comments/questions, please don't hesitate to share.