SA L’Avenue Commemorates Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day

On 17 August 2025, SA L’Avenue celebrated Indonesia’s Independence Day to commemorate its 80th anniversary. Independence Day was celebrated with a wide range of activities and sports, including tug-of-war, bakiak races, and more. Students also wore red and white to honour Indonesia's flag.

Another event during Independence Day was the Flag Ceremony, where we raised the flag as the national anthem played. We also recited Pancasila to show the five principles everyone must follow. Independence Day is not just about having fun, but it is also about honouring the people who sacrificed themselves to free Indonesia from the colonisers.

Long ago, Indonesia suffered long-term colonisation by the Dutch and Japanese. During the Dutch era of colonisation, people were obligated to provide 20% of their village’s land for the cultivation of tea, coffee, sugarcane, and other plants for export to the Dutch. Due to high demand, the Dutch began monopolising the costs and profits of herbs and spices through the VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagne). In addition, people without land must work 65 days a year on a farm/plantation owned by the Dutch. 

Then came the Japanese, who were seeking oil, and they started their colonisation in March 1942 in Indonesia. Indonesians had to follow Japanese rules, including food, clothing, and medicine shortages, as well as forced labour. Additionally, they were forced to work in labour-intensive construction projects on Java. Then, in the final month before Japan's surrender, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, cities in Japan, suffered atomic bombs from Allied forces, leading Japan to surrender and leave Indonesia.

After years of being occupied by the Dutch and Japanese, our founding fathers, Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, proclaimed the independence of Indonesia on August 17th, 1945, 8 days after the Nagasaki atomic bombing and 11 days after the Hiroshima atomic bombing. Their efforts don’t stop there; our founding fathers decided to build their nation by prioritizing education, economics, and political stability.

As young Indonesians, we should always honour and respect our national heroes for what they have done for us. We Indonesians could also improve our country by focusing on our education to prepare for any future events. We should also follow their paths, becoming models for future generations.