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| kebayaindonesia.org |
JAKARTA, kiprahkita.net - Kebaya is a national pride, enduring and enchanting as a heritage from our ancestors, and a pride of the present. However, it requires hard work to maintain its existence.
In several national-scale events, wearing kebaya has become common. Now, kebaya is proposed as UNESCO Intangible Heritage through a single nomination mechanism.
The 'Kebaya Goes to UNESCO' movement has been widely voiced on social media and showcased in various national commemorations and cultural festivals since August 2022.
This movement has received full support from First Lady Iriana Jokowi, female ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet, celebrity Dian Sastrowardoyo, and even Indonesian diaspora in Washington.
One of Indonesia's traditional women's garments is being campaigned to be registered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to ensure its preservation and global recognition.
The initial step for kebaya to receive recognition as a cultural heritage from Indonesia requires support from every community element.
The government has decided to propose kebaya as UNESCO Intangible Heritage through a single nomination mechanism, without involving other countries in the submission process.
The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, stated in “Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno” in Jakarta on November 28, 2022, that this decision was based on the results of inter-agency and community representative meetings.
These included the X Commission of the Indonesian House of Representatives, the Director General of Culture at the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Deputy for Coordination of Mental Revolution, Cultural Advancement, and Sports Achievement at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO, and the Kebaya Community.
“Kebaya should no longer be a subject of debate. It is a noble culture owned by the nation and has been decided to be a single nomination. We will push and strengthen the effort for kebaya to be recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage belonging to Indonesia for economic progress and to create business opportunities and jobs for our people to improve their living standards,” said the Minister.
The inscription of Kebaya as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage can be done through single nomination and multi-national (joint) nomination, as conducted by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei.
On November 23, 2022, these four countries declared kebaya to be submitted to the Intergovernmental Committee Intangible Culture Heritage and Humanity (IGC ICH) of UNESCO and invited other countries, including Indonesia, to join. The invitation for joint multinational nominations in accordance with UNESCO's operational guidelines was to be submitted in March 2023.
However, Indonesia chose to follow the single nomination procedure. Currently, Indonesia has one active cycle file, Budaya Sehat Jamu, to be discussed in the IGC ICH UNESCO in 2023.
Additionally, there are three inactive cycle files (submission documents received by ICH UNESCO but not yet included in the IGC ICH Meeting agenda), namely Reog Ponorogo, Tenun, and Tempe. Each submission requires approximately two years before being recognized by UNESCO.
Minister Sandiaga Uno explained that each country has a quota of one culture every two years for the single nomination of national cultural heritage as intangible cultural heritage. Joint nominations can be submitted by two or more countries to UNESCO every year without reducing the country's quota.
Indonesia is not only rich in beautiful nature but also in culture and traditions. Since 2013, the Ministry of Education and Culture has recorded that Indonesia has 1,528 intangible cultural heritages that could be proposed to UNESCO. If all were submitted, it would take 3,000 years to be accommodated every two years.
UNESCO continues to encourage countries to develop the status of their intangible cultural heritage, transforming from countries with no cultural heritage to becoming developing and potentially advanced countries.
The use of kebaya fabric has become more popular in recent years. Previously, this clothing was typically worn by women at formal events such as weddings, traditional ceremonies, and government functions.
Today, for some women in urban areas, kebaya has started to replace Western and Muslim-style clothing. Even young people are now used to wearing kebaya in public places such as malls, cafes, public transportation, campuses, and offices.
The kebaya trend has increased as several central and regional government institutions have required their employees to wear traditional Nusantara attire on certain days. Kebaya is finding its momentum.
How important is the submission of kebaya as intangible cultural heritage? Several activists of the kebaya movement have their views.
Indiah Marsaban, a lecturer at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at the University of Indonesia (FIB UI) and a cultural activist, stated that the origins of Indonesian kebaya attire are still debated, considering influences from Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, and other cultures.
Additionally, Indonesia's strategic position on trade routes, particularly in Southeast Asia to the Middle East, made it a gateway for various cultures brought by foreign traders. This included dressing styles that merged and adapted to local culture.
“There is even a possibility that kebaya attire can be categorized as 'shared culture' with other Southeast Asian countries, although with different details,” said Indiah.
Therefore, according to Indiah, the narrative used to promote Indonesian kebaya tradition should not "discredit" other countries or claim that other countries will "take" an element of culture from the country that feels "ownership" of that culture.
“Being listed in UNESCO does not mean exclusive rights or ownership of a cultural element and is not about the originality or authenticity of a cultural element. It signifies the contribution of that cultural element to human values and the sustainability of universal values for humanity,” explained the contributor of the book "Kebaya Melintasi Masa."
The element of sustainability is still evident in the characteristics of modern kebaya in Indonesia.
These characteristics are easily recognized, such as the tight blouse highlighting the woman's torso; fold-over collar without a collar and front opening; long sleeves; and semi-transparent fabric type. Modern kebaya styles can also be combined with Muslim clothing and jeans.
These kebaya styles are still identical to the kebaya fashion of the past century worn by women in Java, Bali, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. Kebaya clothing, which was once dominated by noblewomen and mixed-race individuals, is now worn by all groups.
Thus, drastic changes in kebaya have not occurred, showing the preservation of classic kebaya continues to this day. (indonesia.go.id/kristantyo wisnubroto)
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