The Jakarta Provincial Government held the peak event of Semarak Betawi Batik at the Fashion Atrium Mall Kota Kasablanka, South Jakarta, Sunday (10/8).

At this event, prizes were also awarded to the winners from several competitions with the theme of Batik Betawi including motif design, photography, Outfit of the Day (OOTD) and a Batik Betawi Fashion show, which was held on October 6 and 7.

Jakarta Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises Agency (PPKUKM) Head, Elisabeth Ratu Rante Allo disclosed the Batik Betawi Semarak Peak was held to support and appreciate the Batik Betawi industry, as well as the resources involved in it, thereby fostering motivation to continue preserving Indonesia's cultural heritage, especially in Jakarta.

"This event is also held to implement the National Movement Proudly Made in Indonesia (Gernas-BBI) and boost the Use of Domestic Products (P3DN)," she expressed.

She also conveyed the important role of all parties from the central government, regional governments, to Batik Betawi industry activists. It was because the United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had designated batik as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage of Indonesia 14 years ago, thus every October 2 is made National Batik Day.

"As the next generation of our ancestral heritage, we have to carry out our mandate as well as possible by maintaining cultural nobility and developing the creativity of Indonesian batik art," she continued.

She added UNESCO recognizes that batik is Indonesia's original intangible cultural heritage whose existence needs to be maintained in a bid to develop and prosper all the resources involved, including craftsmen in the batik industry, especially Batik Betawi.

"The Jakarta Government keeps encouraging the development of the Batik Betawi industry on a national and global scale," she closed.