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The Survival Spirit of Competitive Craftsmen
First Lady Iriana and the general chair of the national DEKRANAS, fondly known as Mother of National Crafts, Wury Ma'ruf Amin, created the event.
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fter two years of hiatus, the National Crafts Council (Dewan Kerajinan Nasional/DEKRANAS) again held the Kriyanusa 2022 exhibition with the theme "The Survival Spirit of Competitive Craftsmen", which is taking place from Sept. 21-25 in Hall A, Jakarta Convention Center, Central Jakarta.
First Lady Iriana and the general chair of the national DEKRANAS, fondly known as Mother of National Crafts, Wury Ma'ruf Amin, created the event.
DEKRANAS, established on March 3, 1980, has become a pioneer in the association of activists in the national-handicraft industry. DEKRANAS is a driving element in the handicraft industry and has carried out its role as the government's partner in fostering and developing traditions and cultural heritages in making handicrafts that are increasingly qualified and competitive throughout the archipelago.
Chairperson of the 2022 Kriyanusa Exhibition, Mrs. Elizabeth Thohir, stated that "the main purpose of the 2022 Kriyanusa Exhibition is to help market DEKRANASDA-assisted products and provide space for the Nusantara handicraft industry to continue to strive for creativity and innovation to improve its business performance and display its superior products."
"The handicraft industry is one sector that can adapt and innovate amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic so that it can survive, even support the national economic recovery [PEN]," she added.
Every year, the Kriyanusa exhibition carries different regional icons of the archipelago, and this year's Kriyanusa icons are from Lampung province: the bamboo shoots motif and the raja medal motif.
This bamboo kuncup motif is commonly found in Javanese and Sumatran woven fabrics, which contain the saying: "Noble at a young age, even more so in adulthood." Bamboo still in the bud is very soft and nutritious to eat; but when it grows up, it stands firm – towers -- but bows low. In Lampung, this motif is worn by married women in traditional ceremonies and symbolizes fertility.
The Raja medal motif is a motif with the shape of a ship and its crew, indicating its use for a woman of high rank, such as a kapal adat (donor’s wife). The ship's emblem is a tribute to Lampung's past as a maritime power.
The 2022 Kriyanusa exhibition showcases better-quality handicraft products so that Indonesian handicraft products can increasingly become known worldwide. "This exhibition is an excellent effort to encourage Indonesian handicraft products to go global," said Ms. Reni Yanita, secretary-general of the National Office of the Republic of Indonesia and the Director General of Small, Medium and Aneka Industries in the Industry Ministry. “In addition, Kriyanusa is a craft exhibition eagerly awaited by the public, not only from Indonesia but also abroad, because it displays regional, superior handicraft products produced by competent and competitive IKM actors," he said.
Based on data from the Industry Ministry, the handicraft industry sub-sector can export with a value of US$916 million in 2021, an increase of 10.49% compared to the export value in 2020, which amounted to $829 million. In addition to data from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, the contribution of the handicraft sub-sector to the national GDP in 2020 amounted to Rp 166.13 trillion, with the number of people working in the craft sub-sector of approximately 3.9 million people.
Therefore, continued Reni, as a country with diverse ethnic groups, customs, arts, culture and language, Indonesia is considered to have the potential to produce various unique and quality crafts.
"Hopefully, this Kriyanusa exhibition will contribute to all participants by increasing productivity, as well as educating and stimulating their understanding in terms of actively and comprehensively promoting handicraft products," he said.
The Kriyanusa 2022 exhibition will also be enlivened by talk shows, craft demonstrations, fashion shows and arts from various regions.
DEKRANAS initiated the Kriyanusa 2022 event. It will be attended by 147 participants from various regions and supported by the Home Ministry; Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister; Industry Ministry; Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry; Trade Ministry; Investment Ministry; Transportation Ministry; Communications and Information Ministry; State-Owned Enterprises Ministry; Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry; Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry; and Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, and sponsored by Bank Negara Indonesia, PT. Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Telkom Indonesia, Pertamina, MIND ID, PTPN, PLN, Indosat and Pelindo.
