VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will hold international conference activities at the Five Super Priority Destinations (DSP). One of them will be held at Borobudur Temple on June 24 and 25. According to the Deputy for Tourism Products and Event Organizers of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani Musatafa, this conference aims to introduce Borobudur Temple as a source of knowledge that contains values for all human beings.

“So if we look at it, actually, there are things that the Borobudur temple is a source of knowledge that has not been explored much. We will raise these values so that people see the Borobudur temple not only in its physical form but also the existing values of Buddhists. All of these may apply to all human beings.”

Rizki added that this event can also make tourists fell confident. This is important to revive the activities of meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions or MICE, especially in the five Super-priority destinations. The theme of this conference is "Sound of Borobudur-Music Over Nations: Exploring Traces of Brotherhood Across Nations Through Music." Through the representation of musical instruments on the temple reliefs, Borobudur temple will be introduced more deeply to the world. According to Prof. Melani Budianta, Ph.D from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia, Borobudur is the oldest source of artifactual data that mostly describes diverse musical orchestrations. There are 44 panels in Borobudur Temple that show musical aspects. Then, there are 226 reliefs of aero-phones, chordophones, idiophones, membra-phones musical instruments and 45 ensemble reliefs. Purwa Caraka, an Indonesian artist stated that if these musical instruments are played simultaneously, they automatically foster a sense of tolerance between tribes, even between religions. Thereby, Borobudur is a masterpiece of the civilization of Indonesia.

This international conference will be filled by musicians from Indonesia and 10 countries in Asia. These musicians will collaborate to sound the musical instruments found on the reliefs of the Borobudur temple. Then, there are seminars with experts to explore collaborations together, mini exhibitions from 10 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Borobudur area to showcase and offer uniqueness, distinctiveness, and local superior products. This conference activity will be carried out in a hybrid manner. More participants are directed to go online and participants who attend follow strict health protocols, and are held following the CHSE MICE Guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The 100 offline participants consist of: central and local government elements, academics, domestic and foreign musicians, and tourism practitioners. Deputy for Tourism Products and Event Organizers of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani Musatafa further explained that the International Conference at Borobudur Super Priority Destination is the beginning for the implementation of International Conferences at other DSPs. Furthermore, it will be held in Toba, Likupang, Labuan Bajo, and Mandalika which will raise the theme with the peculiarities of each Super Priority Destination.

“Later in Toba, we will make it with a different theme. Toba, we will raise the theme of Geopark, because Toba has become a UNESCO Global Geopark. Then, there is Mandalika; there is Labuhan Bajo and there is Likupang, North Sulawesi. So, we will pick this up later according to the theme or then the uniqueness of the place, so that the branding can be stronger later.”