"There are many ways of promoting cultures such as using the current SEA Games to promote the Palembang songket," the minister said when she visited the songket production center in Tanggabuntung area here on Saturday.
She said creative industry will develop significantly through sports events of this kind.
Mari cited Palembang as an example where noted producers of local traditional songket dress, like Zainal Songket and Fikri Collection in the Tanggabuntu songket production center, were expected to be flooded by orders.
"Zainal is even convinced his turnover would jump 300 percent during the SEA Games and Fikri predicts his business could increase 75 percent," Mari who also visited the production center of the two noted Songket producers in Tanggabuntu area, said.
During the events, many people including athletes, officials and supporters from various countries visited Indonesia, Palembang in particular.
"After all, the songket dress of Palembang continues to develop nowadays so that there is a mixture between traditional and modern motives that turn the songket of Palemang to become a contemporary songket which serves as an attractive factor for Palembang tourism," the minister said.
The minister also supported the efforts to promote songket through various exposition overseas. She said that songket was a source of creative economy apart from its roles as cultural heritage that needed to be preserved and developed.
"Design is a key to success of the development of songket as part of the creative economy," she said. Mari appreciated the development and the increasing popularity of songket in the last five years.
The minister said that there is an increasing number of people who knew well and become educated with matters regarding songket so that the value of the traditional Palembang dress was automotically increased.
(Uu.A014/H-NG)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
