Yesterday, I visited the cultural site Taman Mini Indonesia with other educators, and the principal of school in Jakarta. This cultural site was a revealing introduction into culture of Indonesia and the role that globalization has taken in shaping the economy.
First a few facts about Indonesia. Indonesia is comprised of more than17,000 islands (of which 6,000 are habitable) and 300 ethnic groups. Each province has is own language, history and ethnic-makeup. However, despite the diverse ethnic groups, there is an official national language– Bahasa. The diversity does not cause strife in interpersonal relationships as I would have suspected. In fact,
Indonesians embrace their diversity, which is clearly evident in their National Motto: Unity in Diversity. This layer in their culture enables them to celebrate differences and embrace the diverse traditions that exist among its people.
Traditions and Globalization
The cultural site Taman Mini nicely unfolds some of the history and traditions of Indonesia. In Indonesia, place, tradition and time determine when a wedding occurs. Wedding garments speak to the significance of the couple being married and their beliefs. While most of Indonesia is Muslim, there are strong Hindu influences. Weddings take place in temples, where offering are made. There are only three types of offerings made: flour, fruit and water. These influences may be tied to the relationship that people have with agriculture being a staple of their economy. However, globalization has had an influence in the economy and lifestyles of Indonesians.
The technology revolution of the 90s continues to shape and define how cultures interact with each other and the rest of the world. This is certainly true for Indonesians. As I walked through the mall near my hotel, I noticed technology was everywhere. You did not see many people on their phones texting in the great numbers that you find in the states. Nevertheless, there were a few. Most of the cafes and restaurants offer free wi-fi as well.
The access to information is certainly having an effect on the youth in Indonesia. Many have access to the same MTV, rap video culture that American kids are engrossed by and it is affecting their worldview and their aspirations. While talking with our tour guide, he mentioned that it has become more difficult to get the youth to consider farming as a profession. It has become poorly considered as a profession because it is not lucrative. What is more, Indonesian youth prefer to live in the more urban areas, as those places have the greatest opportunities for good employment.
Currently 70% of Indonesian are farmers. I wonder how this will look in five years, considering the urbanization issues that they struggle with in Indonesia. More land is being used to create urban areas leaving insufficient land for farming. While this may appear as progress, it just means that they have less land to produce their own agriculture, which has caused a rise in the importation of staple foods such as rice and coffee. This brings all sorts of questions about sustainability when I hear this. It appears that the youth of this generation wants to embrace more of the opportunities made available in more developed economies which is greatly influencing the urbanization of the land. This evokes all sorts of questions for me like:
· How will this effect culture long term?
· Indonesia floods all of the time, perhaps moving to produce less agriculture is not such a bod thing, however, do they have any other industries that can move the GDP forward?
· How are they going to move literacy forward to meet the demand of the youth that want to embrace more global and modern lifestyles?
· What about the lack of a solid middle class and low numbers of college educated Indonesians?
In some ways, I am reminded of the youth on the Navajo reservation. A few years ago, I did a Funds For Teachers fellowship that enabled me to spend some time on the Navajo reservation. While there many of the elders complained that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to get the youth to stay or return to the reservation after school. Many felt that the practices, traditions, and ceremonies of their ancestors were no longer relevant in the world today. This disposition by the youth over time has created a generation of kids that do not read or write Navajo. Also, many traditions and skills like weaving are being lost. While there are Navajo boarding schools enrollment continues to drop. The Navajo worry that in a few generations their culture will be lost due to globalization.
This leaves me reflecting on these questions:
Is technology becoming an abandonment of culture?
Is there any way to balance the two?
First a few facts about Indonesia. Indonesia is comprised of more than17,000 islands (of which 6,000 are habitable) and 300 ethnic groups. Each province has is own language, history and ethnic-makeup. However, despite the diverse ethnic groups, there is an official national language– Bahasa. The diversity does not cause strife in interpersonal relationships as I would have suspected. In fact,
Indonesians embrace their diversity, which is clearly evident in their National Motto: Unity in Diversity. This layer in their culture enables them to celebrate differences and embrace the diverse traditions that exist among its people.
Traditions and Globalization
The cultural site Taman Mini nicely unfolds some of the history and traditions of Indonesia. In Indonesia, place, tradition and time determine when a wedding occurs. Wedding garments speak to the significance of the couple being married and their beliefs. While most of Indonesia is Muslim, there are strong Hindu influences. Weddings take place in temples, where offering are made. There are only three types of offerings made: flour, fruit and water. These influences may be tied to the relationship that people have with agriculture being a staple of their economy. However, globalization has had an influence in the economy and lifestyles of Indonesians.
The technology revolution of the 90s continues to shape and define how cultures interact with each other and the rest of the world. This is certainly true for Indonesians. As I walked through the mall near my hotel, I noticed technology was everywhere. You did not see many people on their phones texting in the great numbers that you find in the states. Nevertheless, there were a few. Most of the cafes and restaurants offer free wi-fi as well.
The access to information is certainly having an effect on the youth in Indonesia. Many have access to the same MTV, rap video culture that American kids are engrossed by and it is affecting their worldview and their aspirations. While talking with our tour guide, he mentioned that it has become more difficult to get the youth to consider farming as a profession. It has become poorly considered as a profession because it is not lucrative. What is more, Indonesian youth prefer to live in the more urban areas, as those places have the greatest opportunities for good employment.
Currently 70% of Indonesian are farmers. I wonder how this will look in five years, considering the urbanization issues that they struggle with in Indonesia. More land is being used to create urban areas leaving insufficient land for farming. While this may appear as progress, it just means that they have less land to produce their own agriculture, which has caused a rise in the importation of staple foods such as rice and coffee. This brings all sorts of questions about sustainability when I hear this. It appears that the youth of this generation wants to embrace more of the opportunities made available in more developed economies which is greatly influencing the urbanization of the land. This evokes all sorts of questions for me like:
· How will this effect culture long term?
· Indonesia floods all of the time, perhaps moving to produce less agriculture is not such a bod thing, however, do they have any other industries that can move the GDP forward?
· How are they going to move literacy forward to meet the demand of the youth that want to embrace more global and modern lifestyles?
· What about the lack of a solid middle class and low numbers of college educated Indonesians?
In some ways, I am reminded of the youth on the Navajo reservation. A few years ago, I did a Funds For Teachers fellowship that enabled me to spend some time on the Navajo reservation. While there many of the elders complained that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to get the youth to stay or return to the reservation after school. Many felt that the practices, traditions, and ceremonies of their ancestors were no longer relevant in the world today. This disposition by the youth over time has created a generation of kids that do not read or write Navajo. Also, many traditions and skills like weaving are being lost. While there are Navajo boarding schools enrollment continues to drop. The Navajo worry that in a few generations their culture will be lost due to globalization.
This leaves me reflecting on these questions:
Is technology becoming an abandonment of culture?
Is there any way to balance the two?