Denpasar Mayor Endorses Gamelan as UNESSCO`s Cultural Heritage

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Mayor of Denpasar, Bali Province, Ida Bagus Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra has endorsed the inclusion of `Gamelan` as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UNESCO.

The entertainment using the gamelan has thrived in numerous areas in Indonesia, including the city of Denpasar and Bali in general, Mantra said while receiving the Head of Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture`s Research and Development Agency Team Ihya Ulumuddin in the Tukad Bindu area of East Denpasar in Bali, Sunday.

"We support the nomination of `Gamelan` to be included in the list of the UNESCO`s Intangible Cultural Heritage, as Gamelan is one of Indonesia`s noble cultural legacies," Mantra pointed out.

He stated that Balinese Gamelan in particular has its own unique characteristics, as the set of instruments is used as accompaniment to traditional and religious ceremonies in Bali, and the existence of gamelan as part of "Panca Gita" which must be preserved.

Furthermore, the Mayor, who was accompanied by Head of Denpasar Cultural Office I Gusti Ngurah Bagus Mataram, said he is grateful and appreciative towards the Ministry as it had proposed Gamelan to be included in the UNESCO`s list of intangible cultural heritage.

Previously, the UNESCO had included the Subak dance from Renon Village and Sanur, Legong Keraton dance, Basmerah and the Ngerebong tradition of Kesiman village as world heritages.

"In the future, we hope the team from the Ministry of Education and Culture can review it again, because in Bali and Denpasar in particular, we have various kinds of traditions and cultures that might later be proposed to UNESCO, so that they can be established as world cultural heritage as an encouragement for artists, community and activists," said further Mantra.

Meanwhile, Head of Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture`s Research and Development Agency Team Ihya Ulumuddin said that he has already agreed to what was conveyed by the Minister of Education and Culture as well as the Expert Board on the proposal of Gamelan as one of the UNESCO`s world heritage, alongside Reog Ponorogo and Kulintang.

He also said that his team is carrying out reviews in several areas including Bali, Java, Sunda, Sumatra and Kalimantan, in relation to the proposal of having Gamelan in the UNESCO`s heritage list.

One of the indicators for his assessment include a unique characteristic that could be perceived as the strength of a particular community to inherit cultural values within it.

"We hope that the UNESCO would include, in its world heritage list, not only the Gamelan itself, but also the cultural values that could be exposed to the all levels of the community and can continue to thrive and be practiced by the people," he said, adding that he came over to Denpasar to collect data and take visual images.

ANTARA