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Combination of Batik and Seshweshwe Fabric in a Bridal Dress Competition in South Africa                                                                                                             KBRI SOUTH AFRICA 

On November 25, Indonesian embassy in Pretoria, South Afrika conducted batik diplomacy by organizing a competition pilot project to make women's clothing from batik and South African traditional fabric, Seshweshwe. The competition which invited Vocational High School of North Pretoria (Tshwane North TVET College) took a theme “The Beauty of Batik and Seshewshwe : A collaboration of creativity in South African Bride Fashion Design”.

A series of competition processes have been held since September 2020 in commemoration of South African Heritage Day on September 24, 2020 and Batik Day in Indonesia which falls on October 2, 2020. In a relatively short time, eight students from Tshwane North TVET College successfully completed their designs in the form of a South African wedding dress which is a combination of batik and Seshweshwe cloth, which was exhibited before the jury in two stages. The first stage on November 19^th, 2020 was carried out by a South African jury and on November 25^th, 2020 by an Indonesian jury chaired by Umi Salman Al Farisi, wife of the Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa. The judging process took place at the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria. Appearing as the first winner was Petronella Makgeta in a batik dress with Rangrang pattern and as the second winner was Minicent Rasekgwalo who wore Betawi batik.

Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa, Salman Al Farisi in his speech said that students in this activity were not just competing. They dare to combine two cultures that have grown up for centuries in Indonesia and South Africa. Ambassador Salman explained that the wedding dress, which is a combination of batik and Seshweshwe, which is a traditional South African cloth, contains a message of harmony between the two nations that support each other and work together.