Aceh, Indonesia – April 16, 2010 – Acehnese society is widely known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly traditional performance art, the importance of which has served as a medium to bridge divides between people dating back to the period of the Sultanate in the early 16th century. Thirty years of prolonged conflict in Aceh, however, forced many artists to abandon public performances. As a consequence, many of Aceh’s youth do not identify with or understand their rich cultural heritage. East Aceh is home to multiple ethnic groups, including a large Javanese population and large numbers of Gayo, an ethnic group with roots in the highlands of Gayo in Central Aceh and Bener Meriah. While wide scale conflict in Aceh has ended, historic tensions between ethnic groups remain.

Recognizing this, SERASI supports a program to raise awareness of the next generation of Acehnese of the rich cultural heritage in the region and the positive effect it can have in improving community relations. USAID/SERASI works in partnership with TALOE, an Acehbased organization that works to rebuild conflict-affected communities through programs that help revitalize Aceh’s multicultural traditional arts. Their work with USAID/SERASI engages youth as stewards of future peace and culture in Aceh. “Through our work, we aim to rebuild communities while building the students’ tolerance and appreciation of their rich cultural heritage and of all members of our communities here,” says Wina, a 36-year old dance trainer and facilitator of TALOE.

TALOE delivers a curriculum of traditional art classes to students in nine schools in East Aceh. Each school is divided according to certain age groups and receives training in four artistic disciplines each week, including two types of Gayo dances, two kinds of Acehnese dances, a Javanese dance, and traditional Acehnese musical instruments.

Appreciative of the opportunity to introduce members of the younger generation to a new experience, Wina said, “Not only do the students really enjoy our visit at their schools, they start to appreciate and enjoy dance routines from the various cultural groups in our region. My dance students want to learn more about where these dances come from and the meaning behind them,” added Wina. “A few students even claim that participating in these classes helps them to make new friends from other (ethnic) groups.” Wina concluded, “For me, I see that the students are finally finding a balance between their mandatory school work and entertainment while learning something new, which is a good way to facilitate and build stronger ties and relationships among children from these different cultural backgrounds.”

SERASI is a USAID funded project focused on creating stable, democratic communities. It is implemented by International Relief and Development.