Director of cultural development and utilization at the ministry, Irini Dewi Wanti, said that state warship (KRI) Dewaruci has been deployed for the program.
Under the program, the ship traverses and stops at seven points along the spice route, starting from Jakarta to East Belitung, Dumai, Sabang, Malacca in Malaysia, Tanjung Uban, Lampung, and back to Jakarta.
"This spice route ignites the memory and pride in identity as a maritime nation, which has been built for thousands of years through the warmth of spices, assimilation of knowledge, culture and civilization, and diplomacy," she informed here on Thursday.
During Cultural Diplomacy Through the Nusantara Spice Route, an online talk show, she confirmed that the MBJR program is part of Indonesia's diplomacy and aims to share knowledge of the spice route in the archipelago.
The local governments of areas where KRI Dewaruci halts also prepare discussion forums, workshops, and festivals.
The involvement of experts, such as archaeologists, cultural experts, academicians, media, and activists could strengthen spice route diplomacy as a shared heritage.
This shared heritage concept, Wanti said, supports efforts to get UNESCO world heritage-recognition for the spice route.
"We need support from the international community. We will carry out goodwill visits to neighboring countries first, which is to Malacca, because it is one of the important points for spice shipping in the archipelago," she informed.
In Malacca, she will gather support to propose the spice route as a UNESCO world heritage.
She said she expects the annual MBJR program to strengthen and enrich the narrative and literacy about the spice route that begins in Indonesia.
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Translator: Hana K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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