May 13th, 2014 0 Comment
Local Government Provides Little Support To Papua Batik Maker
Jayapura, 12/5 (Jubi) – The local government is paying little attention to indigenous batik makers, a Papuan batik
maker, Jimmy Affar, said.
He said the government was simply showing interest by occasionally purchasing some items at exhibitions only.
“If the exhibition was over, they ignore the Papuan batik and the makers. Their concern is only limited to buying and
ordering but not to empower the traditional heritage of Papua,” Affar said on Monday (12/5).
He said if the local government was concerned about the indigenous batik makers, they should not print or order the
batik from other regions.
“We asked for a regional law on the protection of Papua wisdom. Did they issue it? And moreover, the government couldn’t
see what is our recent needs,” he said.
He hopes the government could protect the batik makers as well as the Papua batik. “Please not just talking. Though we
got support from the government, but it’s not enough. However, we are grateful that our consumers still appreciate the
Papua batik and really understand that there was a meaning and history behind the process of batik made by Papuan women.
We keep talk about this because the process of batik making in Papua is different to its kind that imported from outside
Papua,” he said.
Earlier, at the end of April, the Deputy Minister of Education and Culture Wiendu Nuryanti said Papua is very rich and
unique, that it has both beautiful places and culture and art as well. Papua batik is potential to penetrate the world
market. “Keep Papua batik for not imitating the motifs of Javanese Batik. Keep it from taking some motifs from other
regions. I hope there would be a new motif from Papua Batik so it could enrich the Indonesian art of batik,” Nuryanti
said
ENDS