A center of Javanese culture and a modern heritage city adaptable to change: This is the vision of Surakarta in the future, as declared during a meeting of residents from a range of social groups.

Among those participating in the meeting, which marked the last round of events at the World Heritage Cities (WHC) conference, were artisans, businesspeople, traders, officials and cultural observers.

The group concluded that Surakarta, also known as Solo, retained enough cultural heritage and Javanese tradition to be a great city.

A speaker in the forum, Gadjah Mada University archaeologist Timbul Haryono said that, culturally speaking, Surakarta had a glorious heritage inherited from the Surakarta sultanate and Dutch colonial rule.

"Everything that is available in Surakarta must be identified and everyone must be told about it," he said.

Another important step was for people to be made to understand the value of their heritage, he told The Jakarta Post, adding that people might be aware of the presence of the historical remains of a fort, for example, but not understand its value and so demolish it.

"After this identification and understanding, Surakarta must build relationships with other cities because, for the future, a city cannot stand alone but must communicate with other cities," Timbul said.

To make Surakarta into a center of Javanese culture, it should be protected under a fully enforced law. Ideally, the law would allow education, the economy and ideology (culture) to co-exist, with none dominating the others, he added.

"The arts, whether classic or contemporary, remain alive and growing in Surakarta," said Budi Setiyono, art lecturer at the Indonesian Fine Arts Institute in Surakarta.

"It's hard to find classical art performances even in Jakarta."

Surakarta artists, unlike those in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta, are relatively "pure" and uncontaminated by commercial interests, he said.

Budi said he was convinced that in the future the residents of Surakarta could derive economic profits from a policy that preserved heritage and supported tradition.

WHC coordinator Irfan Elbici said the focus of the meeting was limited to seeking a common agreement on the substance of Surakarta's future, and to decide on further meetings.

Irfan said the moment was right to visualize Surakarta as a modern city characterized by its distinct culture.

"The slogan 'Spirit of Java' is also in line with the wishes of cultural observers, businesspeople and other stakeholders in Surakarta," Irfan said.

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