With the spirit of
UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage in mind, and after a long and complex process, batik will
finally be listed by the world cultural body as Indonesian cultural
heritage.
UNESCO is to announce its
recognition of batik as a unique hallmark of Indonesian heritage at a
meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage, held this week in Abu Dhabi. This
recognition is expected to be declared today, Oct. 2, and President
Susilo Yudhoyono of Indonesia has long prepared a warm welcome for this,
appealing to Indonesia's 235 million-strong population to wear batik
today as a sign of support for Indonesian culture. Larasati
Suliantoro, a leading batik activist, told an Indonesian newspaper in
June, "It's our responsibility to encourage a reawakening to real
batik." Another activist, Gaura Mancacaritadipura, underlined the
Indonesian sense of batik culture's belonging by saying that it has been
part of Indonesian people's lives for centuries. "As an example, for
hundreds of years, batik has been a part of the labuhan ritual, the
tradition of throwing one's troubles into the sea in materials that sail
away," he said. In their evaluation, UNESCO put a similarly significant importance on documentation from both experts and communities. The final decision on a nominee's inclusion on the list is the exclusive privilege of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee, which will announce its decision at its session in Abu Dhabi this week. The original decision to advance batik's candidacy for inclusion on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, however, was made by UNESCO's subsidiary body, comprised of Kenya, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Mexico and Estonia.
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