VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Acting Head of the National Library E. Aminudin Aziz giving his welcoming speech at the the Nugra Jasa Dharma Pustaloka award ceremony, (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : The National Library awarded the Nugra Jasa Dharma Pustaloka award. The award was given at the 2024 Gemilang Library literacy celebration, Friday, (20/9/2024).

Nugra Jasa Dharma Pustaloka (NJDP) is the highest form of appreciation for parties who have worked hard to increase the love of reading and literacy through reading materials and library utilization.

The NJDP was given to six categories, namely literacy activists, literacy communities, literacy districts/cities, ancient manuscript preservers, mass media and journalists.

Apart from NJDP, at the same moment awards will also be given from a number of competitions and elections held by the National Library, such as the National Level Speaking Competition for Elementary/MI Students, Best SMA/SMK/MA Library Competition, College Library Innovation Competition, Book Selection Best (Librarian), and National Best Achievement Librarian 2024.

Literacy has become a topic and is always interesting to discuss. In fact, in the last decade, the government has included literacy as a development focus or priority.

So, starting in 2024 the National Library is trying to restructure the program so that public access to qualified reading sources is achieved well.

"Our restructuring focuses on three major aspects which are priorities, namely developing reading culture and literacy skills, mainstreaming Indonesian manuscripts, and library standardization and accreditation," said Acting Head of the National Library E. Aminudin Aziz last night.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Friday September 20th 2024 in Jakarta, the reason why Perpusnas focus on these points are First, the results of developing Indonesian people's literacy skills are still not encouraging when compared with reference countries.

The level of interest in reading is not yet completely good due to the low availability of reading materials that are correct and in accordance with the interests and needs of prospective readers.

Therefore, National Library strengthens 10 thousand village/sub-district libraries and TBMs throughout Indonesia by providing quality books and display shelves. Each village library/TBM will be provided with 1,000 copies of books and various training and assistance to library/TBM managers regarding optimal use of books.

Second, National Library realizes that there are still many libraries that do not have uniform facilities, including management competency standards that still need to be improved.

Therefore, we are massively implementing accreditation of library institutions, implementing training, and technical guidance for library managers at the school library and TBM levels. We also provide similar things to library staff to increase their competency with certification programs and competency tests.

Third, Indonesia has many ancient manuscripts (manuscripts) from the archipelago that have not been well preserved. In fact, some are still neglected and unused. Of course, this is a concern, especially since many Indonesian manuscripts are traded through the black market.

Through the program of mainstreaming Indonesian manuscripts, the National Library carries out efforts to conserve and digitize manuscripts (media transfer), as well as convert tens of thousands of manuscripts so that the content in these ancient manuscripts can be used to improve the quality of life of the community.

"We realize that manuscripts are often seen as useless, on the one hand, but considered "heavy" on the other hand, especially by the younger generation," added Aminudin.

For these reasons, National Library is trying to visualize ancient manuscripts into story books/comics with the hope that from a young age they will know and understand the content of Indonesian manuscripts.

National Library's efforts in preserving and utilizing ancient manuscripts received appreciation from world institutions by being awarded the UNESCO-Jikji Memory of the World Prize 2024 by UNESCO with the support of the South Korean Government//VOI

The signing of the repatriation agreement to return 288 cultural heritage objects from Indonesia, at the Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam, on September 20, 2024, (Photo : KBRI Amsterdam) - 

VOInews, Amsterdam : The Indonesian and Dutch governments signed a repatriation agreement or return of 288 cultural heritage objects from Indonesia, at the Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam, on September 20, 2024, at 15:00 CET.

The signing was carried out by the Director General of Culture Hilmar Farid on behalf of Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia Nadiem Anwar Makarim and Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins.

The signing event was also attended by representatives of the Indonesian Collection Repatriation Committee in the Netherlands, namely Chairman I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja and Secretary Bonnie Triyana, Chairman Dutch Repatriation Commission Lilian Goncalves, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Netherlands Mayerfas, and a number of officials from the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Friday September 20th 2024, this 2024 repatriation agreement is a continuation of the 2023 repatriation, which resulted agreement to return 472 cultural heritage objects from Indonesia, consisting of four Singosari Temple statue, a Klungkung Kingdom keris, Lombok loot, and collections Pita Maha.

While the first repatriation process was underway, the Repatriation Committee conducted studies and compiled a list of other Indonesian cultural heritage objects that still exist in the Netherlands to be sent home.

A total of 288 cultural heritage objects from Indonesia are included in the second repatriation agenda is the result of this study. Realization of return of 288 original cultural heritage objects Indonesia is scheduled to arrive in Indonesia in early October 2024.

The repatriation of cultural heritage objects this time includes Ganesha statues, Brahma statues, two temple statues Singosari, and 284 objects from the Puputan Badung collection.

Repatriation 2024 is part of cultural cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries agreed in 2017. 

This collaboration does not only repatriate cultural heritage objects from Indonesia Netherlands, but also encourages research to generate new knowledge about archipelago civilization//VOI

VOInews, Petit-Saguenay: Piles of old tires, discarded cups, and cigarette butts litter the stunning Saguenay Fjord, a marine conservation area in eastern Canada that attracts belugas and other whales seeking a respite. The fjord, flanked by glacier-carved cliffs, connects to the Saint Lawrence River and is far from any major city. This marine sanctuary has held protected status for 26 years.

"It's one thing to gain protected area status, but how do we maintain it?" asked Canadian biologist Anne-Marie Asselin before diving to search for trash. Along with her team from the Blue Organization, she navigates the brackish waters of the fjord to document pollution in the area.

Their objectives are twofold: to identify the most common types of waste to target plastics that should be banned from sale, and to predict which banks are most at risk of pollution, particularly based on currents, to better target cleanup campaigns.

Using paddleboards, walking, or freediving, Asselin and her team collect various types of waste in the bay of the village of Petit-Saguenay. Under the blazing sun, Laurence Martel from the group sorts the waste by over 100 criteria, including brand, to ultimately hold producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products.

"The most common find is the cigarette butt; it is omnipresent," Martel said. She noted that a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 liters of water due to the thousands of chemical compounds it contains.

Over five years, the team's research has revealed a worrying trend: the concentration of plastic waste is significantly increasing closer to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Atlantic, "suggesting a shift in waste from urban areas towards downstream parts of the river," she added. "Very often, the smallest plastics are the ones that pollute the most," Martel stated.

Waste breaks down into microplastics. These particles, often invisible to the naked eye, are made from polymers and other toxic compounds that vary from five millimeters to one thousandth of a millimeter. Microplastics are found throughout the marine food chain, particularly in invertebrates.

The Blue Organization captures and analyzes these "sentinel species," considered indicators of environmental health, during each cleanup operation. "If your mussels and your invertebrates are starting to suffer, that could be an indicator that the health of the ecosystem is also declining," said Miguel Felismino from McGill University in Montreal.

Seated on a catamaran, Felismino measured, photographed, and arranged mussel specimens, which he will also analyze in a laboratory to study the effects of microplastics. Using a homemade pump and a few pipes placed at the front of the boat, he also collected surface water and sediment from the seabed for his research.

The Blue Organization aims to produce a comprehensive picture of the plastic lifecycle in protected areas like the Saguenay-Saint Lawrence Marine Park. However, to protect these ecosystems, the solution is "also to trigger behavioral changes" in people, said biologist Asselin, who has called on artists to "raise awareness" about the situation.

This could involve creating music from natural sounds or producing a "literary translation" of scientific research, Asselin said. "With climate change, the soundscapes associated with certain territories are set to evolve," said one such artist, Emilie Danylewick, before plunging her hydrophone into the water to record the sounds. Danylewick added that her work is a "way to preserve the current soundscape memory of the territory."

Source: AFP