Jakarta, 28 July 2020 - The myriad ethnic groups, native languages and religions that make up Indonesia reflect the country’s great cultural diversity. This cultural wealth needs to be protected so that it can be preserved for future generations, considering that culture defines the nation’s identity. To that end, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) together with Nusantara Institute and Nusantara Kita Foundation made a commitment to continue to support various activities of cultural preservation and encourage people to appreciate and respect Indonesian local cultures.
The commitment is manifested through our continuous support for the Nusantara Cultural Dialogue as well as recognizing cultural observers, conservationists, and advocates from different walks of life, who contribute to the preservation of local cultures in Indonesia, be it through writing or any other form of activity. In 2020, the Archipelago Cultural Dialogue takes up a theme of “Indonesian Women and Culture”, which due to Covid-19 pandemic was held virtually. Nevertheless, the event went well and was followed by enthused audience and speakers.
The event was held on Tuesday (28/07) and was attended by Director of BCA Lianawaty Suwono, Independent Commissioner of BCA Cyrillus Harinowo, Executive Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of BCA Inge Setiawati, Director of Nusantara Institute Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Co-Founder of Nusantara Kita Foundation Ida Widyastuti, and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Nusantara Institute & President of Indonesia Global Compact Network Y.W Junardy, member of the Advisory Board of Nusantara KGPH Dipokusumo. Azaz Rulyaqien Deputy Chairperson of Tanfidziyah PCNU East Jakarta, Senior Admin of the Meditasi Spiritual Nusantara Hening Sambung Rasa Murdi Apriyani. Also attending as keynote speaker was member of the Presidential Advisory Council 2019-2024, Chairman of the Advisory Board of PT Mustika Ratu Putri Kuswisnu Wardani, actress, film producer and socio-cultural activist Christine Hakim, member of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development, General Secretary of the NU Family Welfare Institute, Secretary General of the Suluh Kebangsaan Movement, National Coordinator of the Indonesian Gusdurian Network, Alissa Wahid, and Professor of Islamic Studies of Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta and Gadjah Mada University, Former Malaysian Chair for Islam in Southeast Asia, Georgetown University, United States of America, Syafaatun Almirzanah. The webinar was hosted by Sumanto Al Qurtuby, who is also a lecturer in cultural anthropology at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Mineral and Senior Scholar at the National University of SIngapore.
The dialogue discusses the role of women in creating and preserving Indonesian culture. The word “kebudayaan” (kultur or culture) certainly encompass a very broad meaning and category. Women become one of the “cultural agents”, who play a central role and make tremendous contribution in creating, maintaining, and preserving cultural products in society,” explained Sumanto Al Qurtuby.
“Every one of us is a cultural agent, Indonesian women are no exception. Cultural agents play a role in creating, maintaining and preserving culture in society. We believe that the medium for preserving culture is also varied, starting from the simplest level, such as mother to child, education in schools, as well as higher institutions for political, economic and other policy makers. Unfortunately, some of these cultural pathways are still dominated by men and tend to ignore the role of women. Through this activity, gender equality in Indonesia gets more attention from us,” explained Lianawaty Suwono.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through its report titled Human Development Report 2018, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) in Indonesia is among the highest in ASEAN. Indonesia ranked fourth after Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. This figure shows that women still get different treatment from men in obtaining health, education, political opportunities and a job.
Lianawaty added that women and men both have a big role in culture. BCA has also committed to implementing gender equality in company operations by providing equal opportunities for everyone, including women, to assume strategic positions in the company. For your information, as of December 2019, as many as 27.3% BCA directors were women, 55.3% of BCA branch heads were women, and 63.8% of employees who received promotions were women.
Besides discussions, the event also gave recognition to cultural advocates, academic and non-academic achievements alike, who have consistently made the efforts to preserve Indonesian culture. The awards are divided into two categories, namely the Nusantara Academic Award and the Waskita Nusantara Award. The Nusantara Academic Award recognizes academic doctoral dissertation and master thesis that focus on Indonesia’s cultural diversity. The Nusantara Academic Award 2020 recognizes Dhianita Kusuma Pertiwi from the Humanities Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia with a thesis entitled “Transformation of the Concept of Power in the Adaptation of Sabha-Parva to Wayang Purwa Sesaji Raja Surya Performances by Ki Purbo Asmoro” and Raudhatul Jannah from the Department of Performing Arts and Fine Arts at the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University with a thesis entitled “Sakdiah: Gender Negotiation in Gayo Pop Music. Meanwhile, the Waskita Nusantara Award is a non-academic award given to individuals active in preserving Indonesian culture. The award was given to the Kabuyutan Cipaku Community, a forum of individuals across generations, who have concern and love for their ancestors and the teachings they inherit and care for (ngamumule) the heritage sites of their ancestors and Sanan a.k.a Surya Sindhu Patih, a preservationist of history, culture and cultural heritage, especially in Mount Penanggungan.
“In the future, there needs to be more social groups, non-governmental organizations, individuals or communities that care about the cultural, spiritual and intellectual assets of our Indonesian ancestral heritage,” said Ida.
“BCA will continue to support the efforts to preserve Indonesian culture, including through educational activities such as today’s seminar. We hope that this activity can provide a deeper understanding and knowledge of Indonesian culture and the role of society, including women, as cultural agents,” Inge Setiawati concluded.
BCA and Nusantara Institute & Nusantara Kita Foundation Hold Indonesian Women & Culture Webinar – Independent Commissioner of BCA Cyrillus Harinowo (left) together with Executive Vice President of CSR of BCA Inge Setiawati (right) at the Indonesian Women & Culture Webinar on Tuesday (28/07). BCA with Nusantara Institute and Nusantara Kita Foundation made a commitment to continue to support various activities of cultural preservation and encourage people to appreciate and respect Indonesian local cultures.
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About PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (as of 30th June 2020)
BCA is one of the leading commercial banks in Indonesia with a core focus on transaction banking business and providing loan facilities and solutions to the corporate, commercial & SME and consumer segments. At the end of June 2020, BCA had the privilege of serving 22.5 million customer accounts, processing approximately 30 millions of transactions every day through 1,251 branches, 17,360 ATMs as well as transactions made over the 24-hour internet and mobile banking systems.
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