Rajapatni.com: Surabaya (8/11/24) – Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in his first speech after being appointed as minister hopes that Indonesia can become the Cultural Capital of the World. The reason is that Indonesia is very rich in culture and ethnically diverse.
This ethnic wealth is not only Indonesian, but also global. Indonesia has become the home of ethnic and national diversity. Approximately 2.6 million years ago, part of the archipelago was a continent called Sundaland or the Sunda Region, whose territory included Southeast Asia such as the Malacca Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and the small islands around it.
Therefore, genetically, the population in the Sundaland region has similarities. Likewise with their language. Some of their languages come from the same language family, Austronesian.
The Austronesian language family, which means “languages of the southern islands”, is a language family, which is very widely distributed in the world. From Taiwan and Hawaii in the far north to New Zealand (Aotearoa) in the far south and from Madagascar in the far west to Easter Island (Rapanui) in the far east.
Because there was a big flood due to melting ice, the sea level rose and submerged the Sunda region and left land with a higher surface, resulting in several islands such as the Malacca peninsula, Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan as well as other small islands.
On each of these islands, big and small, as time goes by and changes occur, each has different characteristics and culture and all of this has become the wealth of the Indonesian nation. According to the Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, in Indonesia there are more than 700 regional languages. The age of civilization, which took place in this area, is millions of years old
There is a sign that the archipelago is one of the homes of world civilization. This explanation can be found in the book “Empire of the Winds: The Global Role of Asia’s Great Archipelago,” by Philip Bowring.
Indeed, at that time there was no term for Indonesia in the region, which at that time was called Sunda Land or Sunda Region. Now, after the changes, only the name Sunda still exists on land that has been hit by major floods or melting ice. Until now, the existence of Sundanese, the Sundanese tribe, with all its uniqueness and peculiarities can still be found.
Authentic archaeological and historical data in the Sunda region are traces of antiquity which are a portrait of the relationship between Java and India from the 4th century. These are traces of the Tarumanegara Kingdom which was founded in the 4th to 7th centuries AD. This kingdom is located in West Java, precisely on the banks of the Cisadane River, which is now the Banten region.
The Tarumanegara Kingdom is one of the largest Hindu kingdoms in Indonesia. This kingdom was founded by Maharesi Jayasingawarman from India in 358 AD. Even though this era is much younger than the Sundaland era, the legacy of its civilization, which has been influenced by India, can be an example that the archipelago has had relations with other countries.
Apart from that, there are natural Indonesian products that have been known throughout the world in the past. Namely Agarwood wood. This wood is believed to come from heaven, which mostly grows in Indonesia, specifically in Merauke, Borneo, Sulawesi and Sumatra Island.
Another is teak wood, which generally comes from Java. A wooden staircase that was once used to enter the Kaaba was made of teak wood with typical Indonesian carvings. Now the stairs are stored in the Kaaba Museum in the City of Mecca.
Not to mention the archipelago as a spice producer. For a long time, spices have been sought after by people from Europe. Spices are called green gold. Apart from that, Indonesian spices are also used in Egypt. One of them is cinnamon.
At that time, cinnamon was commonly used as an ingredient for embalming mummies in Ancient Egypt. Cinnamon has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties that help preserve the mummy.
Now, based on this factual background, it is not an exaggeration if there is a desire to make Indonesia the Cultural Capital of the World. (PAR/nng)