Most people see Indonesian Culture Night( ICN) Cultural Production as just another university musical. But to us, the students who build it, it’ s so much more. It began in 2007 with nothing more than a spark of ambition: a dream shared by a handful of Indonesian students at Nanyang Technological University( NTU) Singapore. No big budget. No professional crew. Just heart, ambition, and a belief that stories rooted in home deserved a stage. That belief became a movement, one that brings people together, pushes us to grow, and reminds us that with right community, we can build something truly meaningful.
In its early years, ICN drew deeply from our cultural roots, myths, folktales, and ancestral wisdom. Our productions echoed with traditional dances, classical melodies, and pride in where we came from. But as Indonesia evolved, and as we, its youth, grew with it, so did the stories we chose to tell. Today, our productions reflect not just where we’ re from, but who we are now: shaped by experience, vulnerability, and voice. We tell stories of grief, burnout, mental health, identity, and legacy themes that aren’ t always loud, but are always real. Stories that challenge silence, spark conversation, and linger long after the lights go down.
Each year, ICN evolves with us. In 2013, we spoke of prophecies and ancestral burdens. In 2018, we explored love and sacrifice. In 2023, we slowed down to reflect on healing. In 2024, we delved into the struggles of young artists torn between passion and expectation. And in 2025, we stood at theedge of twilight, asking what it means to be remembered. These are reflections of our generation, woven with care by each cast member, each crewmember, and each story that adds to the growing legacy.
What makes ICN special isn’ t just what’ s on stage, it’ s who puts it there. No external production house. No professionals. Just over 100 NTU students pour in their nights, weekends, and holidays into something that may live for one day, but leaves a lasting mark. It’ s the paint-stained fingers after exam week. The rehearsals after lectures. The spreadsheets, the tech runs, the nerves backstage. All building up to that one moment when we, the crew, finally say,
“ We did it,” and someone in the crowd turns and whispers,“ This is amazing.”
ICN is where identity finds its voice. For many Indonesian students living abroad, home can sometimes feel distant, shaped by new languages, unfamiliar places, and evolving expectations. But ICN reminds us that we never truly left. Home lives in the voices we raise, the stories we tell, and the culture we celebrate. It connects students from different cities, schools, and walks of life, creating a space where we can be proud of who we are together, and in our own voice. It creates moments of communion where people come together to appreciate art and culture in peace, and where unexpected connections are formed through shared meaning.
That purpose, to build something that unites, uplifts, and speaks, is the why behind it all. It’ s what fuels us, year after year.
Because every time we do this, the spark returns. The legend lives again, and with it, the promise that new voices will rise, and new stories will be told – stories we cannot wait to share with the world.
BY YVES SAMSON LI