Let us highlight President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s statement as he opened the 2020 National Cultural Week in Jakarta on Saturday (31/10/2020).
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EDITOR
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Let us highlight President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s statement as he opened the 2020 National Cultural Week in Jakarta on Saturday (31/10/2020).
The President said that after years and years of pursuing cultural wisdom that is harmonious with nature, the nation had become more resilient, including in coexisting with nature as well as its high risk of disasters. The nation’s resiliency in facing disasters must be preserved so that the nation will be able to face an ongoing disaster, which is the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, it relives the memory of this resilient culture. For more than eight months, the nation has continued to develop a sense of solidarity, mutual cooperation as well as support for the government in handling the pandemic. Echoing President Jokowi’s statement, Kompas also reported news on how artists and craftspeople continued to work during the pandemic. A lot of their work can then be enjoyed by the public through YouTube, after previously being broadcast online.
We oftentimes question how their creativity was able to flourish with the threat of COVID-19 always looming above them.
Let us appreciate artists and cultural practitioners who relentlessly work during the pandemic, which has not only crushed the economy but also people’s physical and mental health. We oftentimes question how their creativity was able to flourish with the threat of COVID-19 always looming above them.
Fortunately, thanks to their common sense, a lot of artists continue to work while still implementing health protocols. Therefore, they can still maintain the drive for self-actualization as well as their passion to express their creativity. Let us appreciate this. We can also envision how dull the past eight months must be without the work of artists and cultural practitioners.
We can also broaden the definition of cultural practitioner and define, for example, those who are working in technological innovation. Reports also have it that innovators still work endlessly during the pandemic, especially in developing medical devices.
A lot of people have also been returning to consume jamu (traditional herbal medicine) to increase one’s immunity. All these effort to maintain resiliency in facing the health crisis must be appreciated. Hopefully, it will all be maintained, considering that many people still fail to comply with health protocols.
We sometimes wonder how they can carelessly risk their own and other people’s lives. We are once again reminded of human capital development, which is also part of President Jokowi’s primary goals for his second term. We hope that with such a development, this resilient nation can be encouraged to be more distinguished, disciplined and civilized.