Jakarta, MINA – Former D-8’s Secretary General Dipo Alam presented a Shinzo Abe painting to the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Kanasugi Kenji on Thursday in Jakarta.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy that happened to Shinzo Abe. As a form of appreciation, I made an Abe painting wearing Javanese Hokokai batik,” said Dipo.
“Because I am one of the founders and stakeholders of the Indonesian Batik Foundation, and the Java Hokokai batik, whose design & colors are strongly influenced by Japanese culture, I painted him wearing it,” he added.
According to Dipo, besides as a form of condolence and appreciation to Abe, the painting is also a symbol of good relations between Indonesia and Japan.
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“October 2 is National Batik Day. So, I would like to invite Mr. Kanasugi to attend the National Batik Day celebration,” he said.
In his opinion, during Shinzo Abe’s tenure in Japanese government, he succeeded securing several cooperations with Indonesia in various sectors, especially in the infrastructure sector, which can be seen in the construction of the Jakarta MRT, the Patimban Port, and the financing of the Padang-Pekanbaru tunnel.
In addition, during Abe’s administration, Indonesia and Japan also collaborated with the IJEPA (Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement) to expand the market for potential products, such as in the fisheries, industry, agriculture and forestry sectors.
“Through the Indonesian Batik Foundation, I want to strengthen cultural cooperation between Indonesia and Japan. Since I was a student, Japan has been very advanced in developing natural dyeing techniques for textile products,” said Dipo.
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He wanted Indonesian batik craftspeople to use Japanese technology in developing warlami (natural dyes) batik, especially for the Java Hokokai batik.
“If Indonesian batik craftspeople can study in Japan, for example learn natural dyeing techniques, it will increase the added value of national batik. Moreover, the price of warlami batik is very high ,” he added.
The painting of Shinzo Abe wearing batik was completed by Dipo Alam in approximately two months.
“When I got information about Abe’s death, I was finishing a painting on Java Hokokai batik. From then on, I immediately thought that I should paint Abe wearing batik,” he said. (T/ri/RE1)
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