Efforts to fight for and maintain the existence of the Reog arts continue to be carried out by the Government of Ponorogo Regency. One of them is with cultural deplomacy missions to several countries.
This is also to support Reog’s struggle to become Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), and the Unesco Creative Ceties Network (UCCN).
This time, the Government of Ponorogo Regency sent 5 Reog Ponorogo Packages to 5 countries. Which consists of, Hong Kong, Australia, Suriname, Canada, and New Caledonia.
The assistance of 5 units of Reog Ponorogo art tools consists of 5 Barongan, Suddenly Merak, Gamelan, and Jathil uniforms. This Reog delivery is in collaboration with the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global). The process of sending Reog Ponorogo to the destination country uses the services of PT Pos Indonesia.
The Head of the Ponorogo Youth Culture Tourism and Sports Office (Disbudparpora) Judha Slamet Sarwo Edi explained, the process of sending the 5 Reog Ponorogo to 5 countries was escorted directly by the Surinamese Ambassador to Indonesia Erick Rahmat Moertabat, President of IDN Global Kartini Sarahtingsih, and administrators Diaspora in these 5 countries.
“So later it will be diaspora in 5 countries,” he said, Monday (03/04/2023).
Ponorogo Regent Sugiri Sancoko explained that sending 5 Reog Ponorogo packages to 5 countries had a mission to make Reog global. According to him, this is an efficient solution, rather than having to visit the 5 countries to celebrate the culture there.
The Regent of Giri admitted, with the services of Diaspora, who incidentally is an Indonesian Citizen (WNI), other communities in the 5 countries will also introduce Reog as a whole, because it is routine and has become an art show in that country.
“People will know Reog, and automatically know about Ponorogo, its history and world-wide art,” he admitted.
Apart from carrying out the mission of cultural diplomacy, to globalize Reog in the 5 countries, to boost Reog’s image which is currently in the process of proposing to become ICH Unesco.
“So we want this Reog to be in all corners of the world in the future, so that this art really spreads to the Archipelago and Internationally, so that it is appropriate to become a Unesco ICH,” he said.
Not only Reog Ponorogo art props, it is planned that a number of Reog art trainers will also be sent to the 5 countries to train how to play Reog Ponorogo and its supporting arts. “Yes, that’s the plan, but before that, we will send a video tutorial on playing reog and its supporting arts, so they can learn about the history first. So that when the coach comes, they will understand first,” he concluded. adv/man
