Intervida promotes indonesian traditions among poor children through new cultural centers
Madrid (29/05/2008). INTERVIDA, which works in Indonesia with the local NGO Yayasan Metropoli (YMID), has extended its action in the archipelago with nine cultural meeting points where poor children can learn about and keep traditional cultural manifestations such as dance, music, and painting, alive. These, and many other cultural activities, form part of the tourism attraction in the area and, as such, are an important source of income for the islands’ inhabitants, who today are greatly at risk.
In 2006, INTERVIDA took charge of a small cultural center in Karagasem, one of the poorest areas of Bali, with the aim of strengthening and extending this project to other parts of Indonesia. The origin of this first center goes back to 2003, when the Italian Sabrina Guerin fell in love with the cultural expressions of the people and established Rumah Anak -‘Children’s Home’ in the Indonesian language-, where classes in traditional dance and rituals were offered to children and adolescents.
This first cultural center became the “Culture for the future” project, which is currently developed in a total of nine cultural centers across three different districts in the islands of Bali and Java. In these centers, traditional and contemporary cultural expressions are promoted through activities directed at children, with special emphasis on the community’s role in developing and taking responsibility for the center as its own.
Upon starting its work in Indonesia, INTERVIDA observed that the area is characterized by areas of great population density but geographically dispersed; this means that the cities are not organized around a central point, but rather that these grow and develop along the roads and highways. Additionally, the lack of cooperation of the communities, the high levels of corruption and the inefficiency of state institutions, as well as the lack of financing and the absence of educational, cultural and entertainment policies, make the exchange and diffusion of culture difficult; as such, traditions may disappear if new generations stop practicing them.
In this sense, the main objective of the “Culture for the future” project is to contribute to the construction of a platform which helps the population to more easily access cultural and recreational activities and, in this way, strengthen the diffusion of local culture and the exchange between groups, communities and even countries, favoring the knowledge of basic traditional values which mark the difference between the different cultures of the world.
The program is directed mainly at children, young people and women, with special emphasis on the artistic skills of the youngest children, providing the with free access to cultural spaces, and providing them with an education in values, civicism and healthy habits.
In order to benefit the greatest number of children possible, the activities take place in spaces which already exist in the cities; this way the investment can be concentrated in the human resources, the teachers and the workshop leaders. Likewise, the participation of social organizations is sought so that the communities themselves manage the project and ensure its sustainability.
The courses offered by the cultural centers emphasize the cultural aspect over the formative or recreational aspects. The children take classes of traditional dance and gamelan, an orchestra of up to 30 musicians who use metallophones made from bronze and bamboo, gongs, cymbals, flutes and hand-beaten drums. They also learn batik, a technique for painting fabric which consists in applying layers of wax over those areas not to be dyed, and how to make kites, among other things.
Furthermore, with the aim of encouraging improved reading habits among children and to diffuse the use and knowledge of the Balinese language, the “Culture for the future” project includes activities related with local literature. This way, children study Balinese grammar and learn writing techniques, which include calligraphy practice in the Balinese alphabet- influenced by the antique language of Java, el kawi- with the traditional pen called the pengrupak over palm leaves called lontar. The students also learn basic rules for writing poems; they watch, together with the rest of the community, films and documentaries; and they attend performances by story-tellers, who tell traditional Balinese stories.
Courses are also offered on theater, puppetry, woodshop, goldsmithing, horticulture, cooking and technology, these being adapted to the resources available in each community, as well as scheduling and the needs of the children.
About INTERVIDA
FUNDACIÓN INTERVIDA is a nonpartisan, nondenominational and independent development NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Its objective is to contribute to sustainable human development towards improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged communities around the world. Currently, INTERVIDA is active in various countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, offering its support to nearly five million people.
Compartir:
Comentarios