5 ASEAN Countries Propose Kebaya as Cultural Heritage to UNESCO
- Straits Times/ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM
VIVA – Kebaya is a traditional cloth worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Therefore, these five countries propose Kebaya to be included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Director General of Culture at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Hilmar Farid, said that the four other ASEAN countries recognize that kebaya is part of their culture.
Meanwhile, the process of proposing kebaya as an intangible cultural heritage to UNESCO collectively began when the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri met with President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, 2021.
The meeting aims to discuss various opportunities for cooperation in various fields, one is the cultural sector.
"Including talking about joint proposals for several intangible cultural heritages that have a shared cultural history, one of which is kebaya. After dialoguing, it was finally agreed to invite other ASEAN member countries that also have kebaya traditions to join the women's community with kebaya," Hilmar stated in a written release.
Ilustrasi kebaya
- VIVA.co.id/Riska Herliafifah
Meanwhile, a joint proposal mechanism was developed by UNESCO in 2008 as an effort to realize the objectives of the Convention.
It aims to raise awareness of the importance of preserving cultural diversity, as well as provide favorable recognition of the practices and expressions of communities around the world in efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage.
Hilmar said that the retention mechanism means that including cultural elements in the ICH list is a recognition of a country for patents or intellectual property rights for cultural heritage. But as a form of contribution of the state party (proposer) in promoting cultural diversity and encouraging dialog between communities.
"With such spirit, it is expected to encourage the realization of international peace. The nomination of Kebaya through joint resistance is also a momentum in strengthening ASEAN regional unity and solidarity," Hilmar remarked.
