German Diplomat Admires Indonesia Cultural Diversity

Jakarta - German Cultural Center "Goethe-Institute" Director Franz Xaver Augustin has admired the Indonesian cultural diversity. Speaking at a press conference for a painting exhibition on "Raden Saleh and the Beginning of Indonesian Modern Painting" here on Friday, Augustin said the Indonesian cultural heritage in Southeast Asia was unchallengeable. "I have traveled to most of Southeast Asian countries but never did I find any rich cultural heritage there like what I have seen in Indonesia," Augustin said. But unluckily he noted that even many Indonesian people failed to respect their own cultural heritage that has been existed since the Dutch colonial era. "Therefore we try to present the beautiful works of great painter Raden Saleh in this exhibition, because they are less respected by the people of Indonesia," Augustin noted. Sharing his statement was Indonesian literati Goenawan Muhammad who said the people of the country less appreciated the art and culture of their own nation. "Even our education system is also unable to motivate the students to appreciate the music and art works," said the man who is popularly called GM. According to him, the government as well plaid less role in managing and building the infrastructure for art and culture, for it was seen from several museums and paintings which were not well maintained. "We know that Indonesian art works start to have a good market abroad and that we have to maintain them as the assets of tourism," Goenawan noted. He also regretted the lack of appreciation of the people to Raden Saleh, one of the best known painters from Indonesia and a pioneer of modern Indonesian art. Raden Saleh was considered to be the first modern artist from Indonesia, and his paintings corresponded with nineteenth-century romanticism which was popular in Europe at the time.(*)