Local artists 'to benefit' from Year of Art and Culture

JAKARTA (JP): Officials defended yesterday the government's decision to declare 1998 the Year of Art and Culture, saying the campaign was not merely a vehicle to attract tourists to the country but also to provide new opportunities for Indonesian artists.

Edi Sedyawati, director general of cultural affairs at the Ministry of Education and Culture and Andi Mappisammeng, director general for tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications maintained that the campaign would promote artistic innovations.

Edi said she hoped that popular as well as avant-garde art could work and exist together with tourism objectives. She said tourism could help preserve art and cultural heritage.

She cited one local art form which was facing extinction until it was revived and incorporated into a tourist package.

"Tourism provides the market, but it is the artist who should profit from the market. The dichotomy (of tourism and art) and fear that tourism could kill the arts and that artists become neglected is simply not true," she said.

But she said it was unfortunate that in many areas artists are treated merely as "tourist merchandise".

The government declared 1998 the Year of Art and Culture as part of the Visit Indonesia Decade aimed at promoting tourism.

But many artists and cultural experts have greeted the campaign with cynicism, saying that it lacks the true essence of aestheticism and merely exploits art and culture as an object of tourism.

Edi said Indonesia will host two international events this year which will promote Indonesian art and culture worldwide. They include the second Art Summit which will feature performing arts and the 15th conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia.

She said that various programs have been scheduled, including archeological research and art festivals.

In yesterday's gathering, Andi said the government has shown a strong commitment to improving tourist development while at the same time preserving art and culture.

He urged people not to be hasty in judging art and culture as an object of tourism.

"From a tourists' point of view, the artist's performance is really special and unique. If the performer feels that they are being watched, being exploited as tourist attractions, that's really just another point of view," he said, adding that artists can also benefit from the influx of tourists and increased interest in local culture.

"We hope artists can raise their standard of living through tourist events," he said. (09)