BATUBARA, NORTH SUMATRA — Dompet Dhuafa North Sumatra Branch or better known as DD Waspada held a graduation ceremony for the beneficiaries of the Batubara Malay Songket Weaving Culture Program on Friday (19/11/2024). At the same event, an exhibition of the graduates’ work was also held at the Batubara Regent’s Office Hall.
This graduation event is an important moment for the beneficiaries for their success in mastering weaving skills. They have been deepening these skills since September 2023, until graduation day arrived, which has lasted approximately one year.
The graduation of the Malay Songket Weaving Culture Program was attended by Edwin Aldrin Sitorus as the Assistant for Government and People’s Welfare (Assistant I), who represented the Acting Regent of Batubara. In his remarks, Edwin appreciated Dompet Dhuafa for its dedication in preserving local culture, while empowering the community.
“We congratulate all participants of this program and thank Dompet Dhuafa Waspada for its efforts to revive Malay culture. Hopefully the participants can continue to contribute as a driver of weaving preservation in Batubara Regency,” said Edwin.
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The Malay Songket Weaving Culture Program itself is designed to maintain the cultural heritage of the region while improving the economic capabilities of the community, especially women. The program participants come from various backgrounds, including teachers, who have successfully created various songket fabrics with stunning Malay motifs.
Dompet Dhuafa Waspada Branch Manager, Sulaiman, also expressed his hope that the skills that have been acquired will not only benefit the participants, but also be passed on to the next generation. He also emphasized the importance of the role of teachers as program participants to make weaving part of educational activities.
“The majority of participants are teachers. We hope they can share these skills with their students, and even make songket weaving an extracurricular activity at school. More than that, we also want the work of the participants to be included in various cultural activities in Batubara Regency,” said Sulaiman.
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Furthermore, Sulaiman emphasized that this program is not just about skills training, but also an effort to build awareness of the importance of maintaining cultural identity amid the challenges of modernization. This weaving program is expected to be able to make songket weaving a symbol of pride for the Batubara community.
On the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, the participants exhibited their songket weaving results which showed extraordinary creativity. Each fabric on display reflects the beauty of the Malay motif that characterizes this region.
This exhibition activity also received great appreciation from the local community and the officials present. Fatimah, one of the graduation participants, expressed her pride and happiness after completing this program.
“This experience is very valuable for me. In addition to learning weaving techniques, I was also taught to understand the cultural values contained therein. I hope to be able to teach this skill to the younger generation so that the Malay Batubara songket weaving is preserved,” she said, emotionally.
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With this success, Dompet Dhuafa hopes that songket weaving skills will not only be able to preserve traditions, but also open up new economic opportunities for local communities. This program is designed to create a sustainable impact, both in terms of culture and social, so that the community can continue to develop and prosper. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Syafira, DD North Sulawesi
Editor: Ronna