KBR 68H Saga: Reog Ponorogo videos go viral on the internet. Abing Santoso’s unique way of preserving Indonesia’s cultural heritage

As part of a SekolahYang Menyenangkan or “fun schooling” approach to education Abing Santoso teaches students at the State Vocational Secondary School Number 12 (SMKN 12) in Surabaya to perform the Reog Ponorogo dances. Abing uploads videos of the performances to the internet. How has this affected the struggle between Indonesia and Malaysia to have UNESCO recognise Reog as part of their respective cultural heritages?

Abing Santoso has uploaded videos that has generated cultural nationalism in netizens who previously had limited interest in Reog Ponorogo. Source: Source: baraqatax/Creative Commons

The videos that Abing has uploaded have gone viral.  The team at KBR 68 spoke with Abing Santoso and students at SMKN 12.  They explain how they feel about this popularity and what they want to achieve from it. 

Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3 pm. Follow us on Facebook and catch us on podcasts.

And you can keep abreast of the latest information about the corona virus in your language at sbs.com.au/coronavirus

How does UNESCO decide contests over cultural heritage? Source: Source: januartha/Creative Commons