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]
