Selayar Islands – Thursday (1/10) at 9.24 Central Indonesia Time (WITA), all Arka Kinari’s crews moored their vessel at the Benteng Selayar Port, Selayar Islands, welcomed by a few members of the Department of Education and Culture and Department of Public Health teams of Selayar Islands. However, concerning the prevention of the Covid-19 spread, Arka Kinari’s crews underwent a rapid test from the Department of Public Health before stepping into the Selayar Islands. Therefore, by applying the health protocol, the welcoming ceremony was limited.
Prior to the arrival in the Selayar Islands, Arka Kinari was scheduled to be arriving on 30 September 2020 from Banda Neira. However, the technical problem on the ship caused a delay. As a result, Selayar Islands became the third place for the Arka Kinari’s crews to trace the spots of Spice Routes in Nusantara.
The Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture initiated the Spice Routes program. It is a means of diplomacy of Indonesia’s government in purpose to reconstruct the intercultural relationship, people, and civilization by showing the connection among the elements within it. Collaborating with Arka Kinari, the crews traced the spots within the spice routes and spread the cultural and environmental missions.
As the owners of the ship, Nova Ruth and Grey Filastine chose cultural and environmental missions, for both of them have a closeness to both issues considering the fact that they’re both musicians. Besides, it was a means to carry on the ancestral tradition to save the earth. Throughout their journey, Arka Kinari often collaborated with various artists at the places they stopped by.
Arka Kinari is derived from the word Arka (Latin), meaning to hold off or defend, and Kinari (Sanskerta), suggesting a half-human, half-bird musician who guards the tree of life. Arka Kinari uses wind power and a carbon-free vessel to sail through the ocean. Nova Ruth stated that Arka Kinari is an old vessel that was recycled and renewed on behalf of efficiency.
Arka Kinari first sailed from the Netherlands in August 2019 and sailed through Portugal, Morocco, Canary Island, Cape Verde, Trinidad, and down the Caribbean sea in Venezuela, the Pacific Ocean of America and Mexico, Hawaii, and finally arrived in Sorong in September 2020.
Their visit to the Selayar Islands was scheduled to last from 1-4 October 2020. The activities they conducted include the welcoming ceremony, the visit to the old village of Bitombang, Nekara Bronze, Nekara Museum, Anchor and Cannon Museum, seeing the process of copra, and performing in the Selayar Green Gold Festival 2020. All the series of events that lasted for a couple of days were limited, applying the health protocol in order to avoid the Covid-19 spread.
Text: Putri A. F
Editor: Doni Ahmadi
Translator: Dhiani Probhosiwi
