April 2011 ~ Informasi

Superioritas China di Mata Duo-Naisbitts

Oleh Ecep Heryadi*Judul Buku : China’s Megatrends: 8 Pilar yang Membuat Dahsyat ChinaPenulis : John & Doris NaisbittPenerbit : Gramedia Pustaka UtamaTerbit : I, Juli 2010Tebal : 282 halamanTahun 1982, bagi mereka yang pernah membaca Megatrends: Ten New Directions...

Judul buku : Membaca Sejarah NusantaraPenulis : Abdurrahman WahidPengantar : KH A Mustofa BisriPenerbit : LKIS, YogyakartaCetakan : Pertama, 2011Tebal buku: 133 halamanPeresensi : Danuji AhmadDiskursus sejarah Nusantara memang mengasyikkan. Kehadirannya terbuka...

Oleh Geger Riyanto Alumnus Sosiologi Universitas IndonesiaJudul: Berpeluh Berselaras: Buddhis-Muslim Meniti HarmoniPenulis: Zaenal Abidin Ekoputro dkk.Penerbit: Kepik UnguJumlah halaman: 256 halWaktu terbit: Januari 2011Harga: Rp 55.000Apakah yang terbayang ketika kita menyinggung...

Kerisauan Ahli Waris Musik Bambu Ngada

Alat musik ini mirip seruling, terbuat dari bambu. Bedanya, seruling ini memiliki dua tabung. Kedua tabung itu disambungkan sedemikian rupa sehingga embusan angin dari sang peniup bisa terbagi ke dua tabung tersebut. Alat musik itu disebut Foy doa.Tim Ekspedisi Jejak Peradaban Nusa Tenggara Timur menemukan alat musik itu ketika bergerak ke Kabupaten...

Tongkonan, Simpul Peradaban Toraja

Tidak kurang dari 100 kerbau dan 50 babi dipersembahkan dalam acara Rambu Solo’ di Kecamatan Balusu, Kabupaten Toraja Utara, Sulawesi Selatan, Senin (27/12). Esoknya, ritual Rambu Tuka’ di Kecamatan Tallunglipu mempersembahkan 70 babi dan seekor kerbau. Esensi kedua ritual itu kontras, tetapi sama-sama menghimpun warga Toraja di tongkonan dalam suasana...

Imaji Rumah Orang Jawa

Oleh Munawir AzizManusia Jawa kini terasing di rumahnya sendiri. Ingatan orang Jawa (wong Jawa) tentang rumah memberi energi dan tafsir multidimensi akan asal kehidupan.Rumah memberi arti sosiologis dan religius dalam kehidupan wong Jawa. Batasan-batasan dalam rumah dijebol agar keakraban menyapa kehidupan di luar diri. Hubungan dengan tetangga ada...

Gasing

"Gasing" is a Malay word for top. Gasing or top spinning is a traditional game of the Malays. It was a popular pastime and recreation among children and adults alike who lived in kampongs.In Singapore, however, its popularity declined as more and more people moved to public flats. In an effort to revive and promote the games, gasing enthusiasts established...

`Gonggong`: Unique Seafood of Riau Islands

You`ve never really been to Batam, Bintan or Tanjung Balai Karimun in Riau Islands province unless you have tried gonggong, a seafood dish unique to these three areas, Gonggong, which literally translates to barking, is the name of a sea creature. After just one bite, you`ll be hooked.The snail-like gonggong has a yellowish white shell. The flesh is...

Sikka Weft Textiles: A Tribute to Weaving Women

By Rita A.WidiadanaOn the hillside of Watublapi village in Sikka, 30 kilometers from the largest city in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, a number of women meticulously weave some of the world’s most refined and elaborate warp ikat textiles.Thanks to these women’s superb talent, this centuries-old tradition is still well preserved and blossoming in the...

New Cultural Wars

By Farish A NoorIn the process of rediscovering our past and our culture, let us not be narrow-minded in our approach. Southeast Asia is a rich patchwork of diverse communities and cultures, and we are all the richer because we share this common legacy togetherDemo season has come early this year, and over the weekend it was reported that a number...

Of Different Malays: The Problem Of Boundaries

By Merlyna LimThe recent furor caused by the Discovery Channel`s mistaken insertion of the Balinese Pendet dance into a TV spot for Malaysia has reopened an old wound of Indonesians, who believe Malaysian has repeatedly stolen Indonesian cultural heritage, including the song "Rasa Sayange", the angklung, and the Reog Ponorogo dance, among others.For...

Heritage And Paradox

By Sarah Anais AndrieuAs often happens in West Java during November, rain had been falling all day, so Bandung`s central public space, known as the Gasibu, was half-flooded. A large temporary stage had been erected, in front of which stood a large tent sheltering about two hundred chairs. Forty chairs were prepared with white covers for use by government...

Memories Of A Ramon Magsaysay Woman-Artist Awardee

By Cecile Guidote-AlvarezWe congratulate the 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees: Krisana Kraisintu, Thailand; Deep Joshi, India; Yu Xiaogang, China; Antonio Oposa Jr., Philippines; Ma Jun, China; and Ka Hsaw Wa, Burma. The recognition of their exceptional work in honor of our former President Ramon Magsaysay has been dubbed the equivalent of the Nobel Prize...

Whose Is It Anyway?

By Dzulkifli Abdul RazakThe recent spat over the cultural claims by Indonesia offers another dimension on the understanding of the 1Malaysia concept.First and above all, it boils down to our weakness, if not failure, to articulate what precisely is Malaysian culture, which now assumes a rather amorphous dimension given the multicultural dimensions...