The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno supports Ponorogo Regency to be able to qualify for the Unesco Creative City Network as a City of Craft and Folk Arts.
This was revealed by Sandiaga Uno, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno’s nickname when giving the 2022 Creative Regency/City awards to 9 regencies-cities in the 2023 Indonesia Creative Trails activity at the Kota Lama Complex, Semarang City, Central Java Province, Friday (19/05/2023).
Sandiaga Uno said it was time for Ponorogo Regency to upgrade to become part of the Unesco Creative Ceties Network (UCCN). The reason is that Creative KaTa is the initial embryo in forming the world’s creative cities, which are able to bring change and increase the creative economic sector to the international scene.
” The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy was appointed by the Indonesian National Committee for Unesco (KNIU) to encourage more of our cities to enter the creative cities of network, and here they are present, there are Bantul, Ponorogo, and Surakarta City of Craft and Folk Arts. Hopefully we can make it happen,” he said.
Sandiaga revealed, later, together with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ponorogo Regency is expected to work together in creating new jobs after the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially in the creative economy and tourism sectors.
“I invite you to move quickly for our development. With 3 G, Gercep (gerak cepat), Geber (gerak bersama), and Gaspol (Garap Semua Potensi Online), to create 4.4 million new jobs in 2024,” he hoped.
Ponorogo Regent Sugiri Sancoko is optimistic that Ponorogo will be able to qualify as one of the 2 districts/cities proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to become UCCN. This is because Ponorogo already has a large capital in the culture of the Reog performing arts, which has been the driving force of the creative economy since the days of its ancestors in Ponorogo. From the Art of Reog Ponorogo, many creative UMKM practitioners have sprung up, and the younger generation of Reog artists and their crafts.
“Our embryos and ancestors were already creative, it only remains for us the younger generation to learn, and today we got the National Creative Word. This is our basic capital to reach UCCN,” he admitted.
Sugiri hopes that all policy makers and creative economy actors in Ponorogo will be serious about realizing development based on the Ponorogo creative economy. Even with the support given by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno to Ponorogo, it can be a breath of fresh air for Ponorogo’s enthusiasm to become the City of Craft and Folk Arts UCCN.
“Hopefully we are really creative, not just a slogan, but something that has moved from ordinary to extraordinary. If you look at the objective, it’s time, I’m sure Ponorogo will get it,” he hoped. It is known that the national creative KaTa award was given to Ponorogo after this district passed the independent assessment of Indonesian creative districts/cities (PMK3I) conducted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy in 2021. This is because, apart from being a performing arts district, Reog Ponorogo arts have proven to be able to have a positive impact on regional economic growth, especially creative economy actors in this area. Even with the involvement of the Ponorogo Regency Government in maintaining the existence and regeneration of the arts. Adv/Man
