KRI Dewaruci sets sail archipelago's spice route

KRI Dewaruci yang membawa peserta Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah melintas di Selat Madura usai diberangkatkan dari Koarmada II, Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Rabu (1/6/2022). Pelayaran Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah yang diselenggarakan Kemendikbudristek bekerja sama dengan TNI Angkatan Laut, Pemerintah Daerah serta berbagai komunitas budaya itu bertujuan agar generasi muda mengenal narasi sejarah peradaban rempah, yang telah melahirkan keragaman budaya bangsa Indonesia. ANTARA FOTO/Didik Suhartono/nz

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar on Wednesday flagged off Republic of Indonesia ship (KRI) Dewaruci, which will sail the archipelago's historic spice route with the 2022 Spice Route Cultural Goodwill participants.

Makarim and the Naval Deputy Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Ahmadi Heri Purwono, released the ship at the Fleet Command Pier II, Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we made a historic moment. The departure of KRI Dewaruci, which is carrying the Spice Route troops,' coincides with the commemoration of Pancasila Day," Makarim remarked.

Menteri Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset dan Teknologi (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Anwar Makarim (kiri) berfoto bersama dengan peserta Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah saat pemberangkatan KRI Dewaruci yang membawa peserta Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah di Koarmada II, Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Rabu (1/6/2022). Pelayaran Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah yang diselenggarakan Kemendikbudristek bekerja sama dengan TNI Angkatan Laut, Pemerintah Daerah serta berbagai komunitas budaya itu bertujuan agar generasi muda mengenal narasi sejarah peradaban rempah, yang telah melahirkan keragaman budaya bangsa Indonesia. ANTARA FOTO/Didik Suhartono/nz

KRI Dewaruci will sail to Makassar, then Baubau and Buton, Ternate, and Tidore, continue to Banda Neira, Kupang, and return to Surabaya on July 2, 2022.

"The spice route and Pancasila are important milestones in the course of our nation's history," Makarim said.

The spice route centered in the archipelago has played an important role in encouraging the progress of global civilization, he added.

"For more than a thousand years, long before the arrival of Europeans, sailors, merchants, and scholars from different parts of the world interacted (here) and (this) resulted in the cultural diversity that later became the core of our nation's strength," he explained.

Menteri Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Anwar Makarim bersama Wakil Kepala Staf Angkatan Laut (Wakasal) Laksamana Madya TNI Ahmadi Heri Purwono melepas Kapal Republik Indonesia (KRI) Dewaruci yang membawa para peserta Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah 2022 di Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Rabu (1/6/2022). ANTARA/HO-Humas Kemendikbudristek/aa. (Handout Humas Kemendikbudristek)

The Pancasila ideology was born from a land with cultural diversity, he noted. Pancasila was not created, but was "dug" from Indonesian soil, he added.

"Pancasila is a national philosophy that unites us in diversity," he said.

The Spice Route Cultural Goodwill activity was organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in collaboration with the Indonesian Navy, local governments, and several cultural communities.

The activity is expected to be a form of cultural diplomacy for strengthening Indonesia's position as a global maritime axis, Makarim remarked. (*)