Tabalong designer promotes sasirangan in Malaysia, Singapore

Tanjung, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Mahdalena Syahdan, a designer from Tabalong, South Kalimantan, promoted Sasirangan cloth at the AKAR Symposium in Malaysia and Singapore as a cultural heritage of Banjar.

"This journey is not only to introduce the traditional cloth we make, but also to contribute to preserving the nusantara culture through AKAR Symposium," Mahdalena said here on Monday.

AKAR Symposium is a dedicated arts and culture platform, primarily organized by VariasiSG in Singapore, aimed at fostering, discussing, and preserving Malay art, heritage, and identity.

Mahdalena focused on promoting the uniqueness of handmade Sasirangan in Malaysia before continuing her trip to Singapore last month.

In Singapore the event at Wisma Geylang Serai, was a gathering place for figures and representatives from various region of the archipelago, such as Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Sumatra.

Guest of honor included Minister of Foreign Affairs, Family and Social Development Encik Zulkarnaen Abdul Rahim, as well as community leaders from various regions in Singapore.

The main goal of AKAR Symposium is to ensure that the Indonesian customs, arts and textile are not eroded by modernity but remain preserved and thrive.

"As a native of Banjar, South Kalimantan, I am committed to preserve the cultural heritage of handmade sasirangan cloth," said Mahdalena.

Not only in Kalimantan, her ambition is to make sasirangan known worldwide. She desires close collaboration with sasirangan artisans to continuously improve product quality to ensure it can compete in the export market.

She hopes to receive full support from the lcal government to continue her work to elevate the reputation of the traditional Banjar textile on the global stage.

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