VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry launched the 2023 Kenduri Swarnabhumi program on Sunday to invite and encourage the community to preserve the Batanghari River in Jambi.

"This year, we are given the mandate and trust by the ministry to hold the Kenduri Swarnabhumi," the Ministry's Director General of Culture Hilmar Farid said here on Sunday.

The Kenduri Swarnabhumi program aims to promote Malay culture and increase public awareness about the relationship between culture and environmental conservation, especially river preservation in Jambi.

Farid said the activity is a continuation of the same program last year which sought to retrace the history and Malay civilization in the 600-year-old Batanghari drainage basin.

The program activities will take a closer look at the drainage basin history from the 7th century to the 14th century.

"The activities of Kenduri Swarnabhumi in 2022 received highly positive attention from all circles and Insya Allah (God willing), this time, it is even bigger and more interesting than last year," Farid said.

According to him, the implementation of Kenduri Swarnabhumi is a joint effort in maintaining the cleanliness and sustainability of the Batanghari River, through cultural and historical approaches.

"The Batanghari River has a long-established civilization that is rich with wisdom, and it is related to the river's important role in human life, animals, and plants, and the ecosystem around it," he explained.

The program is also expected to provide a positive impact on cultural development and mutual cooperation in Jambi.

Batanghari is the longest river in Sumatra and is an important part of the West Sumatra and Jambi communities. The upstreams of the Batanghari River are located in the South Solok area, West Sumatra, and Kerinci, Jambi Province. (Antaranews)