Unesco Lists Batik As Indonesian Cultural Heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has officially recognized batik as an Indonesian cultural treasure, Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said on Monday.

“We have received notification from Unesco that batik has now been listed as part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage,” Aburizal said after attending a cabinet meeting chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Bogor Palace in West Java.

Unesco, according to Aburizal, would make public its decision to recognize batik as a unique hallmark of the country’s heritage during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage, held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates .

To celebrate batik’s recognition, he said, Yudhoyono had appealed to the public at large to wear batik as a sign of respect for the culture. “The president has asked us to preserve our culture.”

The government has conducted field research since 2008 involving batik-producing communities and experts in 19 provinces across the country in preparation for the nomination of batik as a cultural artifact.

“Batik is not only considered part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage, but is also now recognized as a representation of humanity’s culture,” Aburizal said, adding that as a traditional cloth, batik was rich in value as well as cultural inheritance.

Meanwhile, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said that in 2003, Unesco recognized wayang kulit , or shadow puppets, and a traditional dagger as aspects of the country’s cultural heritage, adding that it would continue to seek Unesco recognition of its cultural artifacts.

The Pendet dance: A case for TLC

It seems absurd that Malaysia would lure tourists using the Pendet. This would be the same idiocy as Indonesia inviting travelers to come see the Borobudur using the Statue of Liberty, or Cambodia using the Mona Lisa as enticement to explore Angkor Wat.
What is more preposterous is that Malaysia is alleged to have done the same things on more than one occasion, after supposedly claiming the Reog Ponorogo dance, the Javanese gamelan, the "Kakak Tua" song and others as theirs. Surely such claims disregard any rational sense. Everyone knows that the Pendet, Reog and gamelan are part of Indonesian heritage. Starting from the premise that Malaysians, like Indonesians, are basically sane, there must surely be other reasons behind such moves.
The most obvious explanation is that Malaysians think of themselves as part of the larger Malay race (the Rerumpun Malayu) and therefore have a right to the creativities of that culture. It is a way for them, albeit crudely, to say that they belong to the same ancestry as Indonesians and therefore have equal rights to the same traditional inheritances.
While this may hold some truth, as Malaysians can trace their lineage to the Sumatrans, the objects of their claims are specifically Javanese and Balinese cultural creations. While Indonesians and Malaysians may share the same racial/ethnic background, the cultural artifacts of each race is diverse and varied.
Even among Indonesians, cultural expressions are not homogeneous. A Javanese from Pacitan, for instance, would not dream of saying that he shares ownership in the same Serimpi dance as a Javanese from Yogyakarta. Thus Malaysians err if they mix race with culture.
The other possible explanation may be that since Indonesia has an overabundance of cultural creativity, the irresistible tendency is that claiming or "borrowing" some of them for a while will not matter much, especially as Malaysians may think their owners do not seem to take much care for them.
The idea is, if they can get away with it, why not? Nothing much to risk, except some diplomatic ruffles that will be fast forgotten anyway. This logic tends to lend more credibility to the reason behind Malaysia's bold moves. It is not without ground. We Indonesians seem to indulge more in the current than in tradition and indigenousness these days.
This is obvious in the strong preference especially among the young for, say, Michael Jackson's moonwalk, Arnold Schwarzenegger's screen bravado, the latest American idol's crooning, and Gucci gear, over the gyrations of the Jangger dance, the shadowy movements of the wayang, the rhythm of the Kroncong music, or the symmetrical designs of the Lurik cloth. The trend now is toward globalization and modernization at the expense of the local.
Who is to blame in such circumstances: the Indonesians, who are deprived of their possessions, or the Malaysians, who have allegedly taken from them? Needless to say, the one-sided takers are normally to blame.
However, the Malaysians would most probably not have dared make their bold move had they realized we would have shown greater appreciation and iron-clad resolve to protecting our culture. We should learn from the lessons of the Sipadan-Ligitan case, which saw us deprived of our sovereign territories by virtue of lack of attention and care for them. Inherent racial, cultural and historical territorial ties are no longer guarantees of automatic rights.
Those rights nowadays need to be proven through continuous interaction, care and other such acts of active relationships. If we are to safeguard our valuable assets, be they cultural or natural, traditional or contemporary, we must reassert our ownership of those assets in the most vigorous sense. In other words, we should shower them with TLC (tender loving care).
The world is at a crossroads between globalization and maintaining local identities. Indonesia need not regard it as an either/or proposition. In so far as they deal with matters of technology, systems and efficiency, going global is the preferred way.
However, in terms of culture and tradition, such legacies should be preserved at least in their basic forms, as they represent the national character. Loosing such character would be tantamount to loosing one's identity. What is a nation without its identity? Maintaining this identity through fostering cultural and traditional heritage is not only the responsibility of the government, but of every individual, family, clan and ethnic group that forms part of the Indonesian nation.
This should be done in all imaginable ways, from fully appreciating and daily practicing that heritage, to protecting it through legal patents on an ongoing basis. In a world where national boundaries are fast falling, caring and loving for one's possessions can go a long way in ensuring ownership of them.

The writer is a graduate of Harvard (US) and Leiden (Holland) universities, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (US). He was a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR, 1999-2004) and the minister of social affairs under former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
Article by Anak Agung Gde Agung in Jakarta Post

The heart of Bali: 24 hours in Ubud

Ubud was settled by an eighth-century Javanese priest who sensed an aura of holiness in the area.

An hour inland yet worlds apart from the bustling hype of Denpasar, Ubud remains Bali's cultural and spiritual heartland where ceremony and tradition sit alongside world-class spas and health retreats. There's a large expatriate art community and each of Ubud's 14 mountain villages has its own specialty. The best way to explore is with a driver; it's as cheap as ... nasi goreng.

Named after "ubad", the Indonesian word for medicine (there is an abundance of curative plants grown in the surrounding forests), Ubud has a history of alternative therapies and holistic well-being. So congregate with the hippies for a vegan breakfast of organic walnut and spelt pancakes at the local restaurant and health food institution, Bali Buddha Cafe. The downstairs health food store offers alternative therapies and organic baked goods such as chai cookies and yoghurt scones. Check the noticeboard for details on yoga and reflexology workshops.

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Ubud Hotels

‘Punching the Devil’ in Ubud

People often complain about the lack of craftsmanship in the fine arts, and they may be right, but Australian conceptual artist Rodney Glick is adept at combining the best of both worlds.

His latest exhibition, titled “Punching the Devil,” is scheduled to open at Gaya Art Space in Ubud, in the center of Bali Island on Saturday night, and will include a number of wood sculptures that were whittled, carved and hand painted by Balinese artists and artisans over hundreds of hours.

Glick photographed Westerners in poses associated with Hindu gods to illustrate the way in which ordinary people and the divine are joined.

The photographs were digitally altered to create images of people with eight arms or three faces, for example, or carrying a severed head by the hair, and these images are included in the exhibition.

Glick said that his collaboration with the Balinese craftsmen and painters had been mutually beneficial.

“Everyone’s getting credited on it. They are my initial designs and photos. I’m employing them [Balinese artists], in a sense, to do a particular job.”

“Since before the Renaissance, Rueben, Leonardo, many artists, would map out things and have a team doing the work. It has become more obvious in our contemporary society because you’re not contained in one studio,” Glick said.

Carver Made Leno, originally from Kemenuh village near Ubud, collaborated with Glick on previous sculptures and carved five pieces for the current show.

Painters Wayan Darmadi from Bona Kelod, and Dewa Tirtayasa from Abianbase are both art school graduates and are collaborating with Glick for the first time in “Punching the Devil.”

A number of the exhibited works feature knives and blood.

“To Westerners, this is quite gory,” Glick said. But he challenges viewers to see beyond the gore to the exhibition’s larger themes of love, loss, learning and rebirth.

“The [woodcarvings] intrigue us because of the mix of ancient and modern, religious and secular, Eastern and Western,” said Chris Hill, an Australian artist, who also collaborated with Glick on the exhibit.

“And we might find some comfort in knowing that the states of mind we share with the rest of humanity we also share with the gods,” he said.

This is the first time that Glick’s art has been exhibited in Bali.

“Punching the Devil” will also be shown at the Salihara arts complex in South Jakarta in December.

My Jakarta: Bondan Winarno, Culinary Expert

If you know anything about food and Indonesia then Bondan Winarno needs no introduction. But if you’re out of the loop or new to the scene, all you need to know is this: Whatever he says, do it. If he tells you to try it, try it. If he tells you to go to a restaurant, find the address. If he tells you to savor something, then it’s definitely “mak nyuss.”

Hailed as the country’s most celebrated culinary expert, a renowned author and the host of his own cooking show, Pak Bondan reveals a few of his favorite spots in Jakarta, tells us what he cooks at home and explains the joys of Jalansutra.

Where did your love of food come from?

There is an Indonesian saying, “Dari mata turun ke hati.” If I see food, I usually have the urge to taste it, and I usually love the food. When I was young, my mother often asked me to help her in the kitchen. My first Boy Scout badge was for cooking. In my early years as a professional, cooking became an antidote to work-related stress. In those days, I often cooked on weekends.

Why ‘mak nyuss’? Where did it come from?

Mak nyuss is an expletive normally used by people from Yogyakarta when they are surprised by something tasty. It was the late Umar Kayam, a leading columnist and novelist, who used the expression in his popular columns. He was a foodie like I am.

Can you talk a little about Jalansutra?

Jalansutra is a weekly column on Kompas.com about traveling and dining. Readers of the column formed a mailing list, which now consists of more than 15,000 members. We exchange information and stories on food and travel-related issues. Not only have I gained information from this community, but I’ve also gained a lot of new friends.

Can you talk about Kopitiam Oey?

Many people suggested that I go into the restaurant business, while some even asked me to be their partners. But I have no track record in this business, and neither am I trained to undertake such an endeavor. Kopitiam is a simple form of food and beverage service on the low end, which I think I can handle. I don’t want the prices to become an obstacle for Indonesians to drink coffee at a place with a nice ambience. I want to revive the old tradition of Chinatown coffee shops. I think it’s unique.

More....

Pendet dance to be performed at Malaysia's tourism event

Indonesian dancers will perform the controversial Balinese Pendet dance at one of the biggest tourism events in Malaysia later this week, an official said Wednesday.

"We will present an Indonesian cultural performance, that is, the Pendet dance at the Matta Fair 2009," Chrismiastutie, an official at the Indonesian Cultural and Tourism Ministry, told Antara news agency.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair 2009 will run from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6.

The Pendet dance has drawn controversy following Malaysia's use of the dance in its tourism promotion ads. Indonesia has protested this use of the Pendet dance by Malaysia.

"We can use this forum [Matta Fair] to clarify [the ownership of] our Pendet dance," Chrismiastutie added.

In addition to Pendet, Indonesia will present other traditional dances, including Legong (also from Bali) and a Betawi dance.

Through tourism promotion in Malaysia, Chrismiastutie said that Indonesia should attract more tourists from Malaysia.

July 2009: Foreign tourists to Indonesia increasing

The Central Board of Statistics (BPS) said the number of foreign tourist arrivals in July 2009 reached 593.4 thousand people, an increase of 4.59 percent as compared with that in July 2008 which stood only at 567.4 thousand.

"The July 2009 figure is also higher than that a month earlier," BPS chief Rusman Heriawan said here on Tuesday.

The BPS recorded that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the January-July 2009 period stood at 3.56 million.

Heriawan said that the increase in the number of foreign tourists negated doubts that the number of foreign tourists would drop after the July 17 twin bombings of JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.