Indonesia strives for inclusion of shipbuilding culture in UNESCO heritage list

Indonesia is striving to have its ancient phinisi shipbuilding culture included to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Intangible Cultural Heritage list this year with an exhibition to boost the move.

Nadjamuddin Ramly, the Cultural Heritage and Diplomacy Director under the Ministry of Education and Culture on Wednesday the UNESCO's meeting would be held in Seoul, South Korea, in early December.

"In order to socialize the acknowledgement of phinisi an art of boatbuilding from South Sulawesi, we are holding a cultural exhibition in the ministry's complex in Jakarta for four days until April 28," Ramly told Xinhua.

During the exhibition, the visitors can see phinisi miniature and a documentation of the tradition to build a wooden boat in accordance with methods passed down by ancestors in Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi Province.

"Phinisi wooden boats typically have two masts and seven sails of differing sizes, known for their ability to punch through big waves and sail great distances. They have been used by Bugis traders for centuries to travel across the archipelago and the world," he added.

According to Ramly, the phinisi's recognition is important in many ways such as to secure from other countries claim, to preserve the long history tradition, and to increase the incomes of local people from tourism.

In addition to the phinisi, the exhibition also presents pantun poetry and pencak silat martial art, two heritage items hopefully to be added in the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Indonesia has seven cultural heritages in the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list including wayang puppetry, batik, keris ceremonial daggers, angklung (bamboo musical instruments), noken (Papuan traditional woven bags), three genres of traditional Bali dance as well as the traditional Saman dance from Aceh. Enditem