Before European exploration, Southeast Asia was the epicentre of the world’s spices. Not only as a commodity, spices changed the way of life and traditions of the people, bringing about an exchange of cultural values between nations.
Dino Kusnadi, Associate Diplomat of the East Asia Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of strengthening spices’ position as part of Indonesia’s identity so that they are recognized as an integral part of the identities of other countries.
“The heritage is still growing and strongly animating our nation, and this will be a necessity for our capital as an outgoing information material if we are already known as a spice nation,” Dino said, as reported by Antara Thursday, September 26, 2024.
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Indonesia itself gave birth to various types of King Spices, such as cloves, nutmeg, and sandalwood, which became the main commodities.
In its time, this spice commodity was worth more than gold.
The many artefacts, historical records, and cultural uniqueness of the past illustrate the past activities of the Archipelago people who built a global trade route called the Spice Routes.
The Spice Route has important historical value that can provide useful insight into the development of global trade.
The spice route has been submitted to UNESCO for several years; the effort to submit it as a UNESCO World Heritage is targeted for 2024.
Indonesian Government Expects Malaysia to Support the Spice Route as UNESCO Heritage
The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), asked Malaysia for support in supporting Indonesia’s efforts to propose the Spice Route as a world heritage site to UNESCO.
As reported by Antara News on Friday, June 2024, the Director of Cultural Development and Utilization of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Irini Dewi Wanti, said that the search for support was carried out through a cultural cruise entitled Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah (MBJR), with Melaka, Malaysia, being one of the route destinations.
