Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Will Make Ternate A Spice City

Kemendikbudristek brings spice soldiers to Ternate/Photo: Antara

TERNATE - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology brought the Laskar Rempah as many as 149 representatives from 34 provinces in Indonesia to introduce the culture and spices from Ternate.

Director General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Hilman Farid, in Ternate, Tuesday, June 14, said that as many as 149 people will be introduced to the culture of Ternate as one of the spice cities in Indonesia.

The participants of the 2022 Spice Line Cultural Goods or Laskar Spice are young people selected from 34 provinces in Indonesia, totaling 149 people, which are divided into 4 groups, namely the Pepper Group (35 people) with the Surabaya-Makassar shipping route.

​The two Clove Groups (37 people) with the Makassar-Baubau-Buton-Ternate and Tidore shipping routes. The third is the Nutmeg Group (37 people) with the Temate-Tidore-Banda Neira-Kupang shipping route and the last is the Cendana Group (38 people) with the Kupang-Surabaya shipping route.

Hilman said, through the Spice Path Cultural Goods program, it is hoped that it can foster community pride in various regions while strengthening cultural interaction networks between regions to create a spirit of nationalism, increase public awareness in developing and utilizing National Cultural Heritage and Cultural Conservation, as well as initiating various related programs and activities. Spice Routes in their respective regions as capital to improve welfare.

In addition, while in Ternate and Tidore, Laskar Rempah will trace the glory of spices by visiting cultural heritage sites, studying the characteristics of spices and local culture, and visiting Clove and Nutmeg Plantations.

Laskar Rempah is scheduled to continue the voyage on June 15, 2022, to Tidore, and continue the voyage to Banda Neira on June 16, 2022, from Tidore.

The 2022 Spice Route Cultural Goodwill also aims as an effort of cultural diplomacy and strengthens Indonesia's position as the world's maritime axis as well as the desire to see the historical narrative of spice civilization from the decks of Indonesia's own ships.

He said that the government is currently trying to apply for the Spice Trail as a World Cultural Heritage recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2024.

He mentioned, that the Cultural Goods of the Spice Line will start from June 1, 2022, to July 2, 2022, using the legendary ship KRI Dewaruci belonging to the Indonesian Navy.

This activity follows six points on the Spice Route, namely Surabaya, Makassar, Baubau and Buton, Ternate and Tidore, Banda Neira, and Kupang, and is scheduled to return to Surabaya on July 2, 2022.