Several students from the UT, Saxion and ITC, mostly members of the Indonesian Student Association (PPI), celebrated Batik Day on the UT campus, donning their batik clothing all day. The art of cloth decorating has been practiced for centuries in Indonesia. A cultural icon, batik, involves the process of using wax and dye applied onto cotton and silk garments. Often used to carry infants, a batik sling is marked with symbols to bring good luck to a newborn child.
Like the Japanese Ainu dance, Argentine’s tango and France’s Aubusson tapestries, the colorfully patterned batik joined the list, along with other cultural elements in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (WAM).
In a strong effort to safeguard and preserve cultural artifacts, UNESCO’s growing list numbers a total of 166 elements from 76 countries and from the Palestinian Territories, according to unesco.com site.
At a meeting of the 24 Member States of the Intergovernmental Committee held in Abu Dhabi, from September 28 to October 2, the committee also selected three programs to reflect the principles and objectives of the convention, one of which is an education and training project in Indonesian on Batik cultural heritage. The next session of the committee will be in Kenya in 2010.
Despite the turbulent effects of last week’s earthquake in Padang city, Indonesia, where 600 people were reported to have died, Indonesians abroad are keeping the richness of their cultural heritage and history in focus. ‘We have not only sadness but also happiness, and we are proud of our traditions. Personally, I don’t want our country only to be known as a place which has lots of natural disasters,’ said one Indonesian student.
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| Indonesian students celebrate Batik Day. |
