VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Yogyakarta Special Region is designated as an ASEAN Cultural City. The determination was made on Wednesday, October 24 at Prambanan Temple Open Theater, Yogyakarta. This determination is in line with Yogyakarta as the venue for the ministerial meeting in the 8th ASEAN cultural field and the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting in the 14th ASEAN Culture field. This biennial meeting is held on 21 to 26 October 2018. The establishment of the ASEAN Cultural City is a joint program of the Ministry of Culture of ASEAN countries and the determination of the city changes every two years. Director General of Culture at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Hilmar Farid at the Press Conference on Wednesday (October 24) said that Yogyakarta is the cultural city of ASEAN in 2018/2020 and Yogyakarta was chosen because it has prioritized culture of prevention.

“Yogyakarta, in a meeting with the governor, the activities must involve culture of prevention; this must be developed. And for this matter, Yogya has already advanced. Culture of prevention is how to prevent bad things from happening such as natural disasters. Later, activities to be prioritized are to strengthen the culture of prevention,” said Hilmar Farid.

Hilmar Farid further explained that before Yogyakarta, the city of ASEAN culture was Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Yogyakarta is the fifth city chosen as the City of Culture. At the meeting, the delegates welcomed the determination. To mark this designation, Yogyakarta organized the ASEAN art festival on Wednesday (October 24, 2018) which featured artists from ASEAN countries and 3 of its dialogue partners. This festival is an example of how ASEAN celebrates cultural diversity, uses culture to advance traditions and heritage, and fosters long-standing friendships between ASEAN countries and their dialogue partners. (VOI/Skr/DP)