Fadli Zon Calls The Potential For Cultural Heritage Of East Kalimantan Enough

Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon. (Photo: ANTARA)

SAMARINDA - Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon stated that the potential cultural heritage owned by East Kalimantan (Kaltim) is quite large.

According to him, the potential for the Etam Continent is very rich, covering prehistoric relics to the early history of the archipelago, but its utilization and literacy need to be increased, especially for the younger generation.

Fadli Zon emphasized the importance of education and literacy regarding the rich culture of East Kalimantan, from prehistoric to present eras.

He gave an example of the findings of ancient paintings in Sangkulirang, which amounted to around 2,500 paintings on cave walls, as well as the early royal heritage in the archipelago, including the Kutai Kingdom, which is the oldest kingdom in Indonesian history.

"We need to take care of these sites," said Fadli Zon as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, May 30.

To maximize this potential, Fadli Zon hopes that there will be more cultural festival activities, both expressions of dance, theater, music, film, and contemporary culture.

He also encouraged the making of films with local and cultural themes, such as Kutai, Dayak, Banjar, Malay, or other tribes in East Kalimantan, including traditional art expressions such as mandau and Tari Hudoq.

According to him, the historical wealth of East Kalimantan, from royal and sultanate relics to prehistoric sites, makes this area very complete.

The challenge is how to utilize and narrate this wealth, as well as lift it to the surface in various new expressions.

"The new expression can be in the form of fine arts, dance, wastra (kain-kain), new museums, appreciation in documentaries, short films, to feature films, so that people are more familiar with East Kalimantan culture," he said.

The Minister of Culture also asked local governments to activate cultural parks and museums.

Fadli Zon hopes that with the BPK getting stronger, cultural progress in East Kalimantan will be faster and the cultural progress index will increase.