Indonesian batik has been declared by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity that originally comes from Indonesia since 2009.
This type of recognition by UNESCO is crucial so that intangible cultural heritage will remain preserved by the locals. But what locals really think about batik?
Eric Musa Pilaing wrote in the Jakarta Post:
“Sri Muljani Indrawati and Mari Elka Pangestu are the icons of Indonesian batik. The two women in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet can be seen sporting batik dresses perhaps more often than any other public figures. The two look elegant and comfortable as they go about the business of managing the country's economy. Batik is experiencing somewhat of a resurgent lately, with more and more people wearing the designs regularly, even to work. In the past, batik was generally reserved for special occasions, such as wedding ceremonies; most men for example would keep just two or three in their wardrobe."
Source: Eric Musa Pilaing, Jakarta Post, November 23, 2008
Second opinion claims:
“I felt somewhat unpatriotic at times whenever the nation gets up in arms at Malaysia for promoting their own batik styles, and more recently at China, which has flooded malls in Jakarta with their batiks. The resurgence in batik in Indonesiais in part a response to this growing intrusion into what Indonesians feel is our heritage. If Japan in the 1970s and 1980s had a slogan "Buy Japanese First", then Indonesians are now being told wear batik if they love their country."
Thirdly, Dewi Wihardja (Indonesian girl who moved to Italy) wrote on her blog:
"This is one of the things that make me proud as an Indonesian, batik. Even if there are two techniques, the most important thing in making batik is by maintaining high quality so that people could feel the masterpiece shown in the batik patterns. In Indonesia, people can see many Indonesians wear batik dresses daily as a part of both fashion style and cultural pride (even I admit that I have batik dresses that I’ve brought to Italy)."
Source: https://wihardja.org/2015/02/20/indonesian-batik-the-pride-and-masterpiece-heritage-of-indonesia/
And what about you, do you agree with these statements? Let's discuss. Leave us a comment.
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