Cultural event is always interesting to folÂlow and nowadays becomes a gathering place for cultural communities who often hold various of program that lead to the strengthening of the nation’s cultural roots.
Oleh : Nia S. Amira
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Sahabat Budaya is a cultural community that was initialÂly a gathering place for lovÂers of Indonesian culture who concern to the history and have the same desire to preserve national culture that should not be eroded by the globalization.
Bang Ahmad, to which MuhamÂmad Sartono (51) is familiarly called by her friends have been since long time doing this kind of program reÂlated to arts and culture, even bang Ahmad often invites his friends who are members of the Sahabat BudaÂya traveling together to the places where have not been visited by many people, like for example the trip to Baduy in Banten Province. Of course lots of experience gained from the cultural journey, exhausted but full of historical knowledge. Sahabat Budaya was established on October 5, 2011 and now has members in Jakarta and surÂroundings area.
In commemoration of Kartini Day this year, Sahabat Budaya IndoÂnesia supported by Museum of Bank IndoÂnesia that concerns w i t h t h e preservation of Indonesian culture, especially Javanese, held a Workshop and Sinau Membatik or Learning Batik at Museum of Bank Indonesia located in old city area of Jakarta on Friday, April 22, 2016. The theme was to love and preserve national textile heritage was enthusiastically appreciated by lovers and connoisÂseurs of art and culture, starting with the wedding film of a Royal Family in 1920, when GKR Timoer, HB VI’s daughter was married to KGPAA Mangkunegoro VI and to discuss about the culture.
Mrs. Dian Karmila, Head of Group Optimization Asset and Management of Bank Indonesia Museum who opened the program that day was pleased to know that the event which was also attended by Mrs. Hilde Damaria was succed. Mrs. Ghea Panggabean who was present at the event also exhibited voluntarily her 13 her special collection of Batik fabric which got high appreÂciation from the participants.
Sahabat Budaya provided 125 canting, 23 small stoves as well as special fabric-cloth called mori which already have special motif so that 125 particiÂpants who joined the lesson were pleased to learn batik while talkÂing warmly about culture in their group accompanied by traditional delicacies, it felt like being in one town in Central Java seeing most participants dressed up in Kebaya and Traditional Fabric or in Batik.
Bang Ahmad who was accomÂpanied by his youngest son, Amir Hamzah Ramadhan (13) was very patient and attentive teaching the participants how to make make BaÂtik so to those who were the first time holding canting, an apparatus to coloring the motif did not feel awkward. There was even a CaÂnadian participant Iranian born, Kamran (50) who was very enthuÂsiastic coloring his mori fabric with particular Batik dyeing commonly called “malamâ€.
The heat of that Jakarta’s old town does not make the particiÂpants lose their passion to keep finÂishing their Batik work and to wait for the dyeing process which takes time. Batik is the way of which could give the calm feeling to those who make it, like Widya who is a make-up artist specialized in Javanese classical style and Shinta, the speÂcialist of Batik Roll Cake maker.