Essay [dulu]

Save and Love Our Culture !

Our culture was be claimed by the other country again. The last target was Pendet dance from Bali. Pendet was be used in tourism resort advertisement by Malaysia. I just think that Malaysia used the situation when many Indonesian people didn’t aware to their own culture and prefer like to use foreign products, exactly western. The situation when Indonesian culture was going to be disappear because only a few people who aware and keep it.

When I was a child, sometimes I played the traditional games. But now, we can see that the traditional games are going to be disappear and I never find it again. Children prefer like to play the modern games like Play Station, going to Time Zone, and watching television. Unfortunately, media mass follow this trend to be western and may be only TVRI which is consistent to show some Indonesian culture events, eventhough there are just a few people who enjoy it.

Actually it’s a lesson for us as Indonesian people, outside of the bad character of the other country to claim our culture. As we know that there were a lot of culture be claimed by our neighbouring state such as Rendang from West Sumatera, Reog Ponorogo Dance from East Java, Rasa Sayang Sayange Song from Maluku, Soleram song from Riau, Gamelan from Java and so on.

What a pity! A lot of Indonesian culture were be claimed by the other country. So, now let’s think together! Who did make mistake? How to solve this problem? And what can we do to solve it?

Before talk more about that point, I would like to tell another big point first. I remember to some functionaries or our government when they are talking about nation culture. Commonly, they just talk about Borobudur Temple, Prambanan, Gamelan music and the other traditional culture that were given by our ancestors without tell about the contemporaneous culture. That’s OK. But, the problem we have is just a few people and government who pay some attention to save our culture.

Now, in our bureaucracy, culture is integrated with tourism department. And the fact, culture is just like a frill for tourism or the other words, tourism is more important than culture. I think it’s not fair because actually both of them are beneficial. But, not all of people have the same opinion. Some people think that the most important thing in this life is money. So, they make some projects to collect a lot of money and they choose tourism as a way to reach their desire.

The opinion which just money, materials and properties are very important in this life become a philosophy for so many Indonesian people. So, there are some big questions now. Where is the generation who like to save and fight for our beloved country, Indonesia ? Where is the generation who want to continue our hero’s struggle? Where is them?? I think it’s difficult to find them here. They are immersed in the furor of a lot robber and pillager in our own country.

Some people often use culture to the other purpose. For example, people use it to invite a lot of tourist in order to get more dollars. That’s a good idea! But, unfortunately there is no project to maintain and continuing our culture because as the young generation we should keep our culture well.

In my opinion, education has a big role in saving our culture. Both of formal and informal education can be a tool to continuing culture. I mean that we can use education to make culture will be exist in the next generation life. Some people ask about our education, why it can’t support and improve our own culture? Why we are influenced by foreign culture easily? Education doesn’t make effort to save our culture, do it?

Well, when we look at the history of our country, we will see that many Indonesian people think that our culture is in the lower level than the foreign culture, exactly, the western. It make our society have no their own confidence if they meet foreign people. Though, in the fact we have a lot of culture which are unique, beautiful, and interesting.

Thus, we have to make some efforts to save our culture. We can start the steps with a little thing from ourselves. Just try to love our culture, concern about it, and aware to our culture. Then, we may ask people around us like our family, friends and all of the society to do the same with us. Ask them to love our culture and save it well. That’s just to show that we aware to culture and we love Indonesia!

[28.10.2009]