“Traditionally, women have held a central role in cultural preservation by passing down ancestral values to the next generation, starting within the family,” she said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday.
She highlighted 2024 data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) showing that 139 out of 718 identified regional languages in Indonesia are categorized as endangered.
In the same year, the Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Diplomacy at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology recorded that 134 large-scale rituals or traditional ceremonies are at risk of disappearing due to high costs, complexity, and the aging of traditional leaders.
Furthermore, the Indonesian Puppeteers Association reported in 2023 that of the 58 types of Indonesian wayang (traditional puppetry)–aside from the Javanese Wayang Kulit Purwa–approximately 23 types are in critical condition due to a lack of audiences and new puppeteers.
Moerdijat emphasized that concrete steps must be taken immediately to address these challenges.
In this regard, she called on stakeholders at the central and regional levels to build strong collaboration to realize a sustainable cultural preservation mechanism.
"Women's potential in transforming cultural values early within the family must be part of the sustainable preservation efforts," she remarked.
The MPR deputy speaker expressed hope that the relevant parties can promptly address the threat of cultural erosion with strategic steps to ensure the preservation of the noble heritage passed down by the nation's predecessors.
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Translator: Fath Putra, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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