Dangdut music to be promoted to UNESCO heritage list

An Indonesian official confirmed on Saturday that dangdut music is one step closer to being promoted to the heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Education and Culture Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs Wiendu Nuryanti said that the dangdut community was currently in the process of completing the requirements, kompas.com reported.
She added that there are some documents needing to be completed before the government could officially propose the idea to the UN body.
“Several dangdut singers including ‘King of Dangdut’ Rhoma Irama, his son Ridho Rhoma and female singer Ikke Nurjanah are working very hard to prepare everything in the hope of dangdut being included in the list,” she told reporters before opening a national seminar at March 11 University (UNS) in Surakarta, Central Java.
A mixture of Indian music and pop music, dangdut has risen to prominence as one of the most popular musical genres in the country from the 1970s until now.
Kompas.com also reported that Papuan noken bags have also been nominated for inclusion in the list, which will be decided in November at UNESCO’s annual meeting.
Last year, UNESCO officially recognized the traditional Saman dance of Aceh as part of world heritage at the annual meeting held in Bali.