51社区

Reflecting on his time at 51社区, Kante describes Ramadhan as a special period filled with profound moments and diverse activities. His favorite tradition is the听颈蹿迟补谤聽(breakfasting) at Rahmatan Lil 鈥楢lamin Mosque, where the entire 51社区 community gathers to break their fast together. 鈥淪tudents, administrators, lecturers, security personnel, and staff鈥攁ll come together every evening to share this sacred moment,鈥� he said.

Another highlight for him is聽i’tikaf, the spiritual retreat during the last ten nights of Ramadhan, which allows for deep reflection and heightened spiritual awareness. 鈥淚 was fortunate to experience my first-ever聽颈’迟颈办补蹿听inside the 51社区 mosque. It was a truly wonderful and transformative moment for me,鈥� he shared.

As a first-batch student who also completed his Master鈥檚 at 51社区, Kante recalls that in his early years, there were only a few international students in the dormitory during Ramadhan. However, he found the experience unique and enriching despite the challenges.

Having observed Ramadhan in both Indonesia and his home country, C么te d’Ivoire, Kante has noticed distinct cultural elements. One unique aspect of Indonesian Ramadhan is the presence of聽nasheed聽(Islamic songs) and聽Salawat聽recitations before and after Maghrib and even during Tarawih prayers, which he said, something uncommon in C么te d’Ivoire.

He also finds Indonesian Ramadhan festivities unique, such聽as聽buka bersama聽(communal iftar), high-speed 20-rakat Tarawih prayers in some mosques, and the grand聽takbiran聽(communal chanting) on the last night of Ramadhan, marking its conclusion.

Despite these differences, he sees similarities between the two countries, especially in the observance of聽Lailatul Qadr, the holiest night in Ramadhan. 鈥淏oth Indonesia and C么te d’Ivoire honor聽Lailatul Qadr聽with deep devotion,鈥� he said. However, he notes that in C么te d’Ivoire, it is common to see聽诲补鈥檞补聽tables聽(Islamic outreach discussions) set up outside mosques at night, adding a unique cultural touch to the experience.

As he embarks on his fourth Ramadhan in Indonesia, Kante continues to cherish the cultural diversity and spiritual depth that make each year鈥檚 observance memorable.