Jayapura, Jubi – Made Sudayasa, an expert cultural officer from the Cultural Heritage Preservation Center of Region XXII in Papua, expressed his concerns regarding the escalating development that jeopardizes the preservation of historical, educational, religious, and cultural artifacts in Papua Province. He highlighted that numerous items, buildings, or structures hold historical significance and meet the criteria for being proposed as cultural heritage sites. However, due to the rampant and rapid pace of development in the region, these items have been lost or dismantled.
Sudayasa illustrated the issue by citing examples like fuel tanks from the Japanese army during World War II, which have vanished due to ongoing development.
“People perceive these as useless old metal, leading to their removal and construction of new houses or offices,” he explained in Jayapura on Friday, January 5, 2024.
He added that due to many historically valuable items related to education, religion, and culture have not been proposed as cultural heritage sites, it led to their significance being unknown to locals.
“Since these items have yet to be identified, people are unaware of whether they should be considered as cultural heritage or not,” Sudayasa said.
Efforts are ongoing, according to Sudayasa, to document every historically valuable item, pertaining to education, religion, and culture in Papua Province to identify those worthy of being proposed as cultural heritage sites.
“Through data collection involving historical figures and community records, we verify which items merit protection. Often, those unfamiliar with the significance deem these items unimportant, yet they hold substantial value,” he stated.
Sudayasa urged residents who discover potential historical relics or artifacts related to education, religion, or culture to report these findings to the authorities for documentation and verification. He believed that effectively preserving these valuable items would enhance Papua’s appeal as a tourist destination. (*)
