Indonesia Promotes Batik at Qatar International Day Festival

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Women Association (DWP) of Indonesian Embassy in Doha, in partnership with Indonesian community in Qatar, promotes Indonesian batik at an international day festival. The event dubbed Pearling Season International School in Doha (PSISD) is held in an elite school in Doha, Qatar, today, April 5.

The coordinator of one of Indonesia’s stands Ayunda Henny Affrianti said the annual festival, which is participated by many of the world's countries, is part of the school’s activities to introduce international cultures and culinary to the students, so they will be informed about diversity and the world’s cultures. The visitors are students from various level of education from 54 countries.

At the festival, a complete information about batik is presented attractively for the visitors; starting from its history until the process of making it. They are even taught how to make one with a simple technique by using a canting and hot candle to draw the pattern.

"Batik is an Indonesian culture but many international communities in Qatar have yet to know it. We’re interested to promote this at the festival so the international community knows that batik is from Indonesia," sais Soraya Alyahya, a dentist resides in Doha for the past three years.

The batik promotion is one of the icons at the festival. "Batik is a craftwork with a high artistic value and has been a part of Indonesian (especially Javanese) cultures since long long time ago", said a batik expert Rosanna Syan.  

Head of Doha Embassy’s DWP, Andi Una Sidehabi, supports Indonesia’s participation at the festival in promoting the batik and the country’s culinary, especially after the visit of Emir Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Indonesia October last year. "The festival is a high time to promote batik in Qatar," said the wife of Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Muhammad Basri Sidehabi.

Minister Counsellor at the Indonesian Embassy in Doha Boy Dharmawan said that his office wants to maximize batik promotion since it was named a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in October 2009 by the UNESCO. "Since the batik declaration as world’s heritage by UNESCO, we want to explain to the visitors that batik is from Indonesia."

Besides batik, Indonesia’s booth also promotes traditional dishes include nasi tumpeng, lemper, and many others, even the famous national noodle brand Indomie. "Tasty," said Grant, a student from Irlandia who tried one of the snacks.

The annual festival that is covered by various news media in Qatar also promotes the 18th Asian Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang on Agustus 18 to September 2.

TEMPO