James Kon
Brunei through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) together with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand agreed to jointly submit a multinational nomination of the kebaya to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) under the category of representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for 2023.
According to the MCYS, this is the first time that the Sultanate has forwarded a nomination and also the first with the other four countries. The countries involved have discussed and agreed for the joint multinational nomination of kebaya after considering that it is a common heritage practiced in the countries of the Southeast Asian region.
Kebaya also represents and celebrates the richness of common heritage, encouraging cross-cultural understanding so that it continues to be practiced by numerous communities throughout Southeast Asia.
The nomination of kebaya was proposed and led by Malaysia and from discussions as part of a series of work meetings between Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore ,Thailand and Indonesia.
Several discussions and meetings were carried out by the respective agencies and the cultural elite as representatives of seven ethics groups to gain community support, which is one of the criteria that must be fulfilled for the nomination.
Following the agreement, a workshop was held from November 1 to 3, 2022 at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia to prepare a nomination dossier for UNESCO by representatives of the countries involved.
The involved countries welcomed participation of others in the region to join in the nomination.
UNESCO under its 2003 convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage emphasises joint nominations to make culture a platform for mutual understanding and dialogue, making the listing process an opportunity for strategic cooperation at the international level.
WHY KEBAYA: KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES?
The knowledge, skills, traditions and practices related to kebaya is associated with women of all ages, background and religions from various communities in Southeast Asia.
Kebaya meets the definition of an ICH element as it involves the traditional craftsmanship skills (embroidery and sewing techniques) for making the traditional women’s garment.
It is also a garment that represents a significant part of the cultural heritage and identity of the Malay, peranakan and other communities in Southeast Asia.
Kebaya is also associated with other forms of cultural heritage, such as festive occasions and weddings. There is an active community of makers and wearers of kebaya who share and transmit the knowledge and socio-cultural value of kebaya from one generation to another.
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have jointly submitted the multinational nomination for kebaya as it represents and celebrates rich shared history, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively practiced by communities across Southeast Asia.
The results would be decided during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024.
HOW DID THE IDEA FOR A MULTINATIONAL NOMINATION OF KEBAYA COME ABOUT?
The idea for the multinational nomination of kebaya was led by Malaysia and discussed as part of a series of working meetings between Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The countries agreed to work on the multinational nomination of kebaya, given that it is a shared heritage found across various Southeast Asian countries, and presents an opportunity to promote and celebrate the shared cultural heritage found in the region.
Meetings have been held among the participating countries since early 2022 to discuss the possibility of working together on the multinational nomination.
Two workshops involving government officials, kebaya practitioners and experts from all participating countries were hosted by Malaysia in November 2022 and Indonesia in February 2023.
Subsequently, an online workshop led by Singapore to finalise the nomination forms was held in March 2023.
