Culture at center stage

Culture at center stage

After the spate of depressing news reports assaulting us to no
end during the past year, it is indeed gratifying to hear some
good tidings for a change. This new year has been designated the
Year of Art and Culture, and its official announcement was the
essence of President Soeharto's New Year's Eve address to the
nation.

Noting that the current decade -- the final one of the century
-- is denoted Visit Indonesia Decade, the President said
Indonesians would further strengthen their national identity this
year through art and culture, while at the same time encouraging
foreigners to come here.

Soeharto continued that the nation was endowed with a long
history and an ancient culture whose legacy was preserved in
impressive edifices and artifacts, as well as old customs and
traditions. These represent the noble values, thoughts and
teachings of our ancestors.

The President was correct in extolling Indonesia's huge ethnic
and cultural diversity. It is no exaggeration to say that this
land is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse nations
in the world. It is this very cornucopia of peoples that has
produced a cultural and artistic heritage with few equivalents in
the world. There is little doubt this wealth is one of the
country's greatest tourist attractions besides, of course, its
natural beauty.

In the context of the economic crisis, the emphasis on tourist
development and promotion can be easily understood and justified.
Tourism is one of the country's star foreign exchange earners,
bringing in much-needed dollars. Its considerable economic
spinoffs benefit the country's millions of small entrepreneurs.
It also provides jobs, and much of the necessary modern tourist
infrastructure is already in place. Although some cultural
pollution may be an unavoidable byproduct, in perhaps most cases,
tourism provides the stimulus to keep local arts alive by
providing income to artists.

If there is one thing in the President's announcement that may
not fully satisfy Indonesia's contemporary artists and
intellectuals, it may be the apparent emphasis on the traditional
arts, including dances, customs and traditions. Contemporary
artists and intellectuals do not doubt that there is much that is
beautiful and noble in this ancient legacy. To them, however, art
and culture are not merely static properties inherited from the
past, but dynamic living totalities that develop in step with
changes in society itself.

This difference in perception of Indonesian contemporary
artists on one side and officialdom on the other is,
unfortunately, one that will probably take a long time to bridge.
Frequent banning of plays and poetry recitals by local
authorities is a telling indication of this difference, and of
officialdom's perceptions of what constitutes "art" or "culture".

It is to be hoped, of course, that a better meeting of minds
can be achieved in the not too distant future. A country's
contemporary art and culture, after all, are as much a national
heritage as the traditional. As products of the nation's existing
generation, they reflect the spirit of the times in which we
live.

At their best, they can provide the spiritual depth needed to
give greater meaning to the material progress achieved. And it
may be the case that, however limited the scope, this year's
emphasis on art and culture will bring a wider appreciation and
better understanding of the true meaning of both.