Pendet Dance Claim

Denpasar (ANTARA News) – Bali`s artist community is urging the government to take appropriate action to defend the Balinese “Pendet” dance as part of Indonesia`s cultural heritage.

“We hope the Indonesian government will be able to take appropriate measures to maintain the Pendet dance as a part of Indonesian culture after the recent Malaysian claim on the dance which has been part of Balinese traditional culture for many generations,” said Ida Ayu Agung Mas, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) told ANTARA Newsw here Monday.

He said the Regional Representatives Council would convey the Balinese artists` demand as soon as possible to the government for further steps to be taken to prevent this nation to suffer another loss in the cultural field.

“This is outrageous, Malaysia has claimed not only the Pendet dance, but also paintings or Batik designs and several national song copyrights,” he said.

A “Visit Malaysia Year” commercial had shown the pendet dance to illustrate the country`s attactiveness to the international world as if the dance was something indigeously Malaysian. The ad was broadcast by a number of local and overseas television stations.

Denpasar Art Institute (ISI) Professor Wayan Dibia MA said that based on his observation, the dancers shown in the Malaysian ad were in reality two Balinese women.

“The women who performed the dance in the television commercial were graduates from ISI Denpasar named Lusia and Wiwik. Meanwhile the video shooting was done in Bali by Bali Record two or three years ago,” he said.

In view of these facts, Dibia said, the government was urged to maintain every Indonesian art product by taking stock of them and registering so that they could not be easily claimed by other countries.

“The pendet dance is a part of our cultural heritage. The dance contains an artistic value and cultural symbols only posssessed by Hindu-Bali people” he said.

Dibia also hoped the government would solve the problem with Malaysia quickly and register the pendet dance as a product of Indonesian culture, of Balinese culture in particular. (*)

COPYRIGHT © 2009

Denpasar (ANTARA News) – Bali`s artist community is urging the government to take appropriate action to defend the Balinese “Pendet” dance as part of Indonesia`s cultural heritage.

“We hope the Indonesian government will be able to take appropriate measures to maintain the Pendet dance as a part of Indonesian culture after the recent Malaysian claim on the dance which has been part of Balinese traditional culture for many generations,” said Ida Ayu Agung Mas, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) told ANTARA News here Monday.

He said the Regional Representatives Council would convey the Balinese artists` demand as soon as possible to the government for further steps to be taken to prevent this nation to suffer another loss in the cultural field.

“This is outrageous, Malaysia has claimed not only the Pendet dance, but also paintings or Batik designs and several national song copyrights,” he said.

A “Visit Malaysia Year” commercial had shown the pendet dance to illustrate the country`s attactiveness to the international world as if the dance was something indigeously Malaysian. The ad was broadcast by a number of local and overseas television stations.

Denpasar Art Institute (ISI) Professor Wayan Dibia MA said that based on his observation, the dancers shown in the Malaysian ad were in reality two Balinese women.

“The women who performed the dance in the television commercial were graduates from ISI Denpasar named Lusia and Wiwik. Meanwhile the video shooting was done in Bali by Bali Record two or three years ago,” he said.

In view of these facts, Dibia said, the government was urged to maintain every Indonesian art product by taking stock of them and registering so that they could not be easily claimed by other countries.

“The pendet dance is a part of our cultural heritage. The dance contains an artistic value and cultural symbols only posssessed by Hindu-Bali people” he said.

Dibia also hoped the government would solve the problem with Malaysia quickly and register the pendet dance as a product of Indonesian culture, of Balinese culture in particular. (*)

Copyright Material. Antara © 2009

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