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Indonesia 2024 (#32 in teaser series: celebrating the local hero’s return)

 

On 20 October 2024 Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as Indonesia’s 8th President.

That afternoon his predecessor, Joko Widodo  – generally known as “Jokowi” – flew out of Jakarta, to return to his Central Javanese home city of Surakata – generally known as “Solo”.

Before his two terms as President (2014-2024) Jokowi was Jakarta’s governor for two years.

From 2005 to  2012 he was Solo’s very popular mayor; he is still hugely popular there.

On the afternoon and evening of 20.10.2024 much of Solo’s population lined its main thoroughfare to bid him “welcome home” and “thank you”.

It was the largest political event I have ever witnessed…and the happiest.

Flags waved, banners fluttered, people laughed and danced, even some of the police officers smiled and sang.

Eventually, a multi-image post will show more of what we saw that afternoon.

I took this post’s photo at 4.02 pm, as our vehicle very slowly proceed along Solo’s thronged “main drag”; at that time the “hometown hero” was still circa two hours away.

 

Published in Americas and Eurasia and Africa nature and travel photographs

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