Betawi Cultural Center a work in progress<\/p>\n
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Anyone who turned up at the newly opened Betawi Center on Monday
\nexpecting to view books, pictures and documents on the Betawi
\nethnic group would have discovered that the center remains a work
\nin progress.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso officially opened on Friday the Center for
\nBetawi Art, Culture, Education and Studies at the Jakarta State
\nUniversity (UNJ). The center is expected to promote and
\nilluminate native Jakarta art and culture, both locally and
\ninternationally.<\/p>\n
Sarnadi Adam, chairman of the Betawi Center, said the
\ninstitution was looking at 2010 as the date by which it hoped to
\nintroduce Betawi culture to large audiences both at home and
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, we do not have any space or offices for the
\ncenter. It is a work in progress but we are working to make the
\ncenter a dependable source of information on Betawi culture,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
However, Rien Safrina, an assistant to the dean of the School
\nof Languages and Culture at the UNJ, told The Jakarta Post that
\nthe university had proposed a budget of between Rp 4 billion
\n(US$449,438) and Rp 5 billion to establish the Betawi Center, but
\nthe proposal was turned down by the city administration and the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"For now, we will only be promoting Betawi culture through
\nevents that present Betawi dancing, music and paintings,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear why the governor officiated over the
\nopening of an institution that is only a work in progress.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that after inaugurating the center, Sutiyoso
\ndonated Rp 150 million for the establishment of a mosque on the
\ncampus of the university.<\/p>\n
As Jakarta has grown and become more cosmopolitan, the Betawi
\npeople have seen their influence wane.<\/p>\n
In response, many Betawi people have formed groups and
\nassociations to demand more recognition from the city
\nadministration as the original inhabitants of Jakarta.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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