AMRI YAHYA'S BATIK CULTURAL DIPLOMACY In the Perspective of Indonesian Cultural Management
Abstract
Batik is a highly unique Indonesian cultural product and a constitution of an Indonesian cultural wealth. Batik as a heritage of Indonesian ancestors has deep philosophical values and serves as the identity of Indonesia; therefore it must be preserved and kept from being claimed by other countries. This makes any diplomacy efforts urgent. This research aims at describing the role of cultural diplomacy by Amri Yahya at international level. The research method is descriptive qualitative nature, with the data being obtained through autobiography, observation and documentation. The data analysis flows through data reduction, data presentation and, finally, conclusion. The research results indicate that Amri Yahya, as one of Indonesian batik cultural diplomacy agents, did his diplomacy through a set of activities, i.e. establishing organization, holding exhibition, organizing discussion, demonstration and painting training using batik as the media. Through organization, Amri formed Himpunan Seni Rupawan Indonesia (HSRI) to bring visual artists to the international level by organizing solo or collective exhibition, both in Indonesia and all major cities in the five continents. Included therein was his traveling exhibition across Europe and Middle East (during 1976 – 1979). His last solo exhibition was conducted in the United States, i.e. in Asian Art Museum, San Fransisco. In 1977 Amri Yahya served as an honorary member of International Association of Art (IAA). Batik cultural diplomacy has had significant impact, i.e. on October 2nd, 2009, Indonesian batik was officially acknowledged by UNESCO. Batik is one of heritages of humanity produced by Indonesia. UNESCO’s acknowledgment was given particularly due to their assessment on the diverse batik motives which contained in-depth philosophical values.
Keywords: Amri Yahya, Batik Diplomacy, UNESCO’s Acknowledgment
INTRODUCTION
performed since the era of Majapahit Kingdom in the efforts to stabilize its influence in this archipelago. The advancement of diplomacy in globalization era has made it more and more diverse. One of them is cultural diplomacy. This Diplomacy is one of the tools a country could use to gain a certain position at international level. Therefore, it is important to analyze the role of culture as diplomacy power.
The possession of various cultures and heritages constitutes Indonesian additional value as a country. However, it is also a challenge in terms of how to introduce cultures as our national heritage to the international society. In addition, there is also the risk of its ownership being robbed by others. The fact that Indonesia is located geographically between several other countries may be a trigger for this risk. A problem potentially occurring in terms of its sovereignty of culture is at stake, Andhika, R (2014)
It is from this point that the problem of Indonesian culture being claimed by neighboring countries, e.g. Malaysia, frequently occurs. Malaysia made a claim that batik culture was hers, despite the fact that it was actually owned by Indonesia. While many cultures had once been claimed to be Malaysia’s, the peak of them all was their claim over batik. Malaysia’s acquisition of batik triggered the Indonesian government's anger and forced Indonesia to make a move to take over their legitimate right over batik.
depending on the geographic location and local customs. Indonesian batik is rich in motives, full of deep philosophical meanings. (Sihono,T. 2012)
In order to realize Indonesian patent right over the national cultural heritage of batik, Indonesia has performed cultural diplomacy using multi-track diplomacy as embodied in 9 ways namely, Official channel of governmental statehood nature (the embodiment of peace through diplomacy), informal channel of non-governmental nature (the embodiment of peace through conflict resolution), business (the embodiment of peace through trading), private citizen (the embodiment of peace through personal involvement), research, training and education (the embodiment of peace through learning), activism (the embodiment of peace through advocacy), religion (the embodiment of peace through faith), funding (the embodiment of peace through asset provision), and communication and media (the embodiment of peace through information). These nine multi-track diplomacy efforts have actually been performed by Indonesia to reach the national goal of getting the acknowledgment of batik as its national heritage. This refers to the acknowledgment of Indonesian batik by UNESCO (Lestari, Suci. 2011).
Cultural diplomacy can be done by either government or non-government parties, individual and collective or any citizen. Therefore, the pattern of Cultural Diplomacy relationship between nations could take place between anyone as its actors where the main objective and goal of such Cultural Diplomacy are to influence public opinion (international organization society who deals with cultural issues).
Batik as Indonesian ancestor heritage is susceptible to another country's claim. It is the responsibility of both government and non-government parties, either individually or collectively, to fight for the patent right of batik culture. Amri Yahya as an Indonesian Citizen was personally intrigued to take part and participate in the batik cultural diplomacy in order to realize the main objective of getting official acknowledgment from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO
Research Objectives
1. To describe the variety of batik cultural diplomacy to influence the International society
2. To describe the types of batik cultural diplomacy approach made by Amri Yahya to the International society.
3. To describe the impact of batik cultural diplomacy for Indonesia on UNESCO
RESEARCH METHOD
data analysis procedure has three steps, namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion.
The research is approached through Indonesian batik diplomacy model, focusing on gaining acknowledgment from the world organization UNESCO. Indonesian batik diplomacy model
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Previous research on Indonesian batik was conducted by (1) Kusuma, Wardani (2006) Sejarah Perkembangan Industri Kreatif Tradisional di Laweyan Surakarta tahun 1965 – 2000. It discusses batik’s golden age until the decline of batik industry, where its businessmen changed tracks. (2) Yasa, Bertha Pramesti, (2016). Strategi Indonesia Menggunakan Rumah Budaya Sebagai Sarana Diplomasi Kebudayaan Terhadap Jerman, Riau: Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik describes Indonesian cultural house as a place to introduce Indonesian
UNESCO Organization
Exhibition
Discussion
Demonstration 1
2
6 4 3
5
1. HSRI organization 2. Solo/collective
exhibition 3. Discussion on
Indonesian Batik 4. Demonstration/
training on how to paint batik
5. Information 6. UNESCO’s
cultural resources to the world. (3) Lussiani, LP & Rani Faisal (2009) Model Diplomasi Indonesia Terhadap UNESCO dalam Mematenkan Batik Warisan Budaya Indonesia. In essence, it is a research on batik as Indonesian cultural heritage which studies the cultural wealth inherited to Indonesia, a heritage from ancestors which is full of culture diversity. (4) Toni, Ahmad (tt). Konsep Budaya “Nusantara” Dalam Diplomasi Indonesia – Malaysia. Presented at UNAIR International Seminar. It discusses the birth of Indonesia-Malaysia sentiment which is a form of inheritance of past European colonialism that tried to separate all regions of Nusantara.(5). (5). Suryanto, Irham Suryo. (2015). Diplomasi Batik Indonesia di Amerika Serikat pada Masa Pemerintahan Susilo Bambang Yudoyono. It suggests that the introduction of batik culture in the United States gives a positive impact to the bilateral relationship of Indonesia and US.
According to Wahyuni Kartika (in Muhaimin, Yahya. A (2007)) cultural diplomacy is the effort of employing cultural aspects to fight for one's national interest in the international society arena .Cultural diplomacy is a tool to show the level of a nation’s civilization. In addition, cultural diplomacy is a technique of utilizing the wealth dimension in inter-nation relationship arena. Culture is utilized by diplomats to influence or to repair the society’s attitude and view towards their country. Indonesia also employs culture as its means of diplomacy.
gain information and get influenced for various interests of our nation. When cultural diplomacy is performed, it could improve the appreciation and understanding to improve the positive image, to build mutual understanding and to improve Indonesian image to the international society.
Cultural Diplomacy has frequently and long been implemented by Indonesia in many diplomacy missions abroad resulting in fairly sound impacts. Cultural Diplomacy could be defined as “a country’s effort to fight for its national interest through the dimension of culture, both in micro manner such as education, science, sports and arts, and in macro manner according to the main characteristics, such as: propaganda and so forth, which in conventional sense could be deemed as non-political, non-economic or non-military” (Lestari, Suci, 2011).
Cultural Diplomacy Concept
Diplomacy is one of important instruments in the implementation of a nation's interest. Diplomacy serves as the main tool in reaching national interest in relation with other countries or international organizations like UNESCO, UN, etc. It is through diplomacy that a country could build an image of its own identity.
mutual understanding between two countries (bilateral) or three countries (trilateral), or several countries (multilateral). (Toni, Ahmad,th..).
Diplomacy should deliver a result in the form of better understanding or approval of an issue at hand. An example of it is an agreement to appreciate arts in a concerned country. The objective is for the international society to have a good perception towards a country, as the social base for a relationship in achieving a broader interest. Arts and cultures are some of diplomacy devices which could support inter-country public relationships, and it has universal language understandable among cultures, hence arts and cultures give positive contribution to the realization of the world’s peace. (Lusiani, SP & Rani, 2009)).
The diverse Indonesian cultures are not treated merely as “subjects”, rather they act as “objects”. As subjects, the diverse Indonesian cultures which include cultural heritages, arts, and human rights, custom and tradition, are used to their maximum extent in performing diplomacy. As objects, other countries’ appreciation to Indonesian arts and cultures would be able to promote numerous positive impacts for the implementation of Indonesian free and active foreign policy.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Doctor Honoris Causa in Arts Education Evaluation by State University of Yogyakarta, 2001.
Since 1977, he was registered as an honorary member of International Association of Art (IAA), UNESCO, Paris. In 1996, Amri Yahya represented Indonesia in a worldwide Islamic Arts and Cultures Conference in Hofsra University, New York. In 1972, he established Galeri Amri when Indonesia prepared itself as the host of 1974 PATA Conference, while also promoted Muslim fashion to the national level (1977), supported by Perwanida DIY. In 1979, he formed HSRI (Himpunan Senirupawan Indonesia/Association of Indonesian Visual Artists). In 1990 in collaboration with Joop Ave, A. Sadali and AD Pirous he participated in pioneering Festival Istiqlal and suggested the establishment of Al Quran Museum in Jakarta.
His artworks have been collected by individuals, state officials and institutions, both domestic and foreign ones, which he had exhibited since 1957, including his solo traveling exhibition across Europe and Middle East during a period of 1976-1979. His last solo exhibition, also his fifth one, was in the United States, in Asian Art Museum, San Fransisco (1996). His final solo exhibition in Indonesia was held in Palembang (1999) and Jakarta (2000) consecutively in Taman Ismail Marzuki and Komplek Bidakara.
In each of his solo exhibitions abroad, Amri Yahya always included a discussion session, a session to play slides on Indonesian arts, and a demonstration of painting with batik as the media.
Batik is a superb heritage of Indonesian ancestor with philosophical values and rich in motives that we need to maintain and preserve. Never let other countries rob our country's wealth from us. Many efforts have been done by all people in their struggle for batik to be patented by UNESCO as an Indonesian cultural heritage. They were done to make batik culture well-known again and loved by Indonesian people, and to prevent it from being claimed by Malaysia, just as what they had previously done to Pendet dance, Reog Ponorogo. (Lusiani, SP & Rani F, 2009).
Based on the foregoing, Indonesia finally took an initiative to apply for patent right/copy right of batik culture which had been a polemic with Malaysia for the claim they made. This move that Indonesia had made was through the use of diplomacy in order to prevent the same from re-occurring, i.e. the claim of its cultures by other countries, (Toni Ahmad th.).
The effort to deal with this problem between Malaysia and Indonesia needed to include cultural diplomacy with a third party, in this case, UNESCO which was the world’s cultural authority as the place to apply for a country’s national heritage in order for its existence to be acknowledged and to gain international acknowledgment. It is undoubted that batik belongs to a cultural sector which has been a characteristic of Indonesia. (Suryanto, 2009)
mistake, since we were lacked of appreciation to the so-called patent right, (Salma, IR, 2014).
He was well-known as a famous batik painter abroad. His loyalty to the world of arts had brought him the title of doctor and professor honoris causa. Amri, who was a lecturer in his daily life, was also said to be a renowned pioneer in contemporary batik painting arts. His choice to be batik painter was based on his desire to maintain one of Indonesian traditional arts roots. Therefore, in his interview with journalists prior to his death, Amri said how sad he was when another country tried to claim batik as their culture. It was quite normal given that for his whole lifetime he totally dedicated himself for the effort of maintaining and preserving Indonesian batik (Salma, IR, 2014).
formed. Its chief was Bagong Kusudiardjo and Amri Yahya served as its Secretary General (Yahya, A.2002 P.32).
Some observers considered that Amri Yahya’s experiments were successful as suggested by Darmawan T, where Amri’s name then inspired craftsmen to imitate his batik paintings which were exotic and easy to sell. Since then, many forged paintings with Amri Yahya’s typical jammed in Taman Sari area, Yogyakarta, hanged with a signature of Amri Y., Amri Yahya, A. Yahya. (Yahya, A,2002.P.33)
In 1982, Amri fought to make cultures (arts in particular) to be one of main parts of national development. Upon the establishment of the institution, Amri Yahya thought that the time had come for the institution to demand the existence of national art gallery (visual arts), an arts building for performing arts in every province capital throughout Indonesia. (Yahya, A, 2002, P.32)
Batik Cultural Diplomacy
Indonesia tried every possible way to convince UNESCO to acknowledge Indonesian batik culture as Indonesian original cultural heritage and for this reason cultural diplomacy had been urgent. Diplomacy is the organization of inter-country relationship. In international relationship, there are several types of diplomacy. It is undeniable that the settlement of inter-country issue could be done using diplomacy.
agents, where the main objective and goal of cultural diplomacy is to influence public opinion (of another country’s society), at both national and international levels (Lestari, Suci 2011). The main target of batik cultural diplomacy was to obtain a representative acknowledgment that batik is Indonesian original cultural heritage by a World Organization, i.e. the official body of United Nations Educational Scientific and Culture Organization (UNESCO).
The diplomacy to introduce batik was performed through various ways, with the simplest one using batik as a souvenir given to representatives of other countries as a sign of friendship. Building a culture center abroad and organizing promotions about batik through mass media were also part of it. In addition, events at international level with batik as their main objects were also performed both within the country and abroad. (Azis, Ahmad Idham,th..)
In foreign countries, KBRI organized events in the form of exhibitions, fashion show, and so on. The goal of organizing those events was to promote batik in such a way that the world’s society would be attracted to know batik a little bit deeper. (Salma, IR. 2014)
Amri Yahya's Batik Cultural Diplomacy
cultural diplomacy approach. There are at least four types of activities he had designed, such as forming an organization to hold exhibitions, discussions, demonstrations and trainings. In order to have a place to channel his batik aspiration, he then established organizations. One of them was HSRI or Himpunan Seni Rupawan Indonesia (Association of Indonesian Visual Artists) whose main mission was to persuade visual artists to perform at world level, focusing particularly on convincing UNESCO to acknowledge Indonesian batik culture as heritage of humanity coming from the work of Indonesia. In 1977, Amri Yahya served as an honorary member of International Association of Art (IAA) in Paris. This organization served a strategic and potential function of reaching the goal to have batik culture acknowledged by UNESCO as Indonesian original work.
His activity of organizing exhibitions at international level included solo and collective batik exhibitions, both within his own country and in almost all important cities in the five continents, including a solo traveling exhibition across Europe and Middle East during the period of 1976 – 1979. His last solo exhibition abroad, also his fifth one, was in the United States, in Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (1996). His last domestic solo exhibitions were in Palembang (1999) and Jakarta (2000) consecutively in TIM (June) and Kompleks Bidakara (November), (Yahya, A 2002, P.32).
where these batik arts exhibitions had been organized included the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Korea, Japan, Singapore and many more. This was highly effective in the implementation of batik cultural diplomacy.
(Salma, IR. 2014)
The objective of organizing these batik exhibitions was to promote batik in such a way that the world’s society would be attracted to know batik a little bit deeper and to study the origin of batik. Hence, in each of these exhibitions a discussion session about batik would always follow.
The discussion topics ranged from batik as a tradition and its role as a heritage from Indonesian ancestors to the deep philosophical values it has. The theme offered to the international society also included the history of Indonesian batik arts which dated from XVII century and continued to develop and was then followed by new inventions regarding the technique to draw batik, until the invention of canting as a tool to make it. The main goal of this discussion on batik was to convince the world’s society that batik was truly an original culture inherited by the Indonesian ancestors. (Lestari, Suci, 2011)
Demonstration and Training on Painting using Batik
Amri Yahya, in every batik exhibition he organized, always brought along the complete kit to paint batik, such as small stove, canting, coloring substance, wax as his equipments to demonstrate how to paint with batik as the media and followed with training on painting batik. This demonstration and training sessions on how to paint batik were attended by important people in the country where the exhibitions were organized. They included the wives of those people in the countries, stakeholders of allied countries (Azis, Ahmad Idham, dkk, th). They learned, particularly arts female enthusiasts, to discover a little bit deeper about Indonesian traditional batik where the demonstration itself was performed personally by the maestro, Amri Yahya.
The goal of demonstration and training on how to make batik was to show the process of batik production from the beginning until a batik work was produced. It started from making a design, drawing motives with canting, covering the drawing with wax and followed by lorotan (removal of wax), tutup celup process and batik product. The demonstration session of how to paint traditional batik was covered by some local media. The guests expressed their gratitude for the event which had been held as it helped them gain more knowledge about Indonesian batik, particularly on how to make batik (Azis, Ahmad Idham, th).
Batik Cultural Diplomacy Impact
fruition, when the government officially supported it. On September 3rd, 2008 Indonesia applied for patent right to UNESCO. The application was officially received by UNESCO on January 9, 2009 for further processing. Finally, on October 2, 2009 it was decided that UNESCO confirmed that Indonesian Batik was included in the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Rani, LP. 2011)
In the beginning of October, the entire people of Indonesia deserved the joy for the publication of UNESCO as UN’s institution for cultural affairs which stated that Batik was a World Cultural Heritage originated from Indonesia. The acknowledgment of Batik as a world heritage would promote batik image even better as a superb product of universal nature that it deserved for preservation and lifted Indonesian reputation as its state of origin. (Suryanto, 2009, Salma, IR. 2014, and Prayogo, HD. 2012). Thanks to the acknowledgment from UNESCO, Batik became Indonesian third original arts and cultures to have obtained the title “World Heritage” after Wayang and Keris which each of them was granted the reward as “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” in 2003 for Wayang and November 2005 for Keris.
CONCLUSION
1. Batik cultural diplomacy could be done by government, private, individual and group through various ways. The simplest way was by using batik as a souvenir given to partner countries; also included in such diplomacy were the establishment of culture center abroad, promotion via mass media, organization of events at international level by KBRI, and batik fashion show.
2. Amri Yahya performed batik cultural diplomacy through several channels, both nationally and internationally, including by forming organizations, holding exhibitions, discussions, demonstrations and training on how to paint using batik as the media. One of the organizations he formed was HSRI (Himpunan Seni Rupawan Indonesia/Association of Indonesian Visual Artists) in 1979 whose main mission was to persuade visual artists to perform at world’s level. In 1977, Amri Yahya served as an honorary member of International Association of Art (IAA) in Paris. In 1996, he participated in a worldwide Islamic culture conference in Hofera University, New York.
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