Jogjarockarta Move Its Venue Following Protest from Association of Indonesian Archaeologist
Prambanan Temple is set to be the venue for a huge rock concert, Jogjarockarta that is happening this weekend. But the idea to hold an international scale event on a historical site does not sit well with the Association of Indonesian Archaeologist (IAAI). Dated as 26 November 2017, the association voiced out their protest against the event in an official statement. Their disapproval is without any scientific, social and cultural reason, and through the statement they cited 3 major points in their reasoning. First of all, the Prambanan Temple is a protected site and has been included in World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO through a result stated in document No. SC-91 CONF 002/15. Places that are included in this category must be protected, since it holds significant value within the country’s or world’s history. The second reason is based on the temple’s religious function. The place is considered a holy and sacred place to pray in Hindu’s belief. The venue which is plotted as the main stage is still included in the holy area, so the decision to use that space can be considered as an insult and disrespect. The last one coming from the past event that has been held there, which was Prambanan Jazz 2017. The event which was held in August proved that the noise level has gone beyond the normal standard. The sound coming from the stages were above 60 dB and it could harm the stone structure of the temple.
Thus, the association condemned the use of the site for Jogjarockarta, and strongly suggested the administrator of Prambanan Temple to revoke the access and permission for the organizer. IAAI also asked the organizer to move the venue to another site which does not pose any cultural, social, and religious significance like Prambanan Temple. By the time they put out this official statement, Rajawali Indonesia Communication as the organizer have already built the stage in front of the temple. Since it was such a stern move from the association, it was decided to move back the stage to its original venue that is Stadion Kridosono. Through a telephone call, the CEO of Rajawali Indonesia Communication, Anas Syahrul Alimi said that the decision came after concerns from the association, historian, and many more. “The venue of the concert is moved back because we accommodate suggestions from various sources,” he said. Following this announcement, the workers started to disassemble the stage and build it again on the new venue. Hopefully, the event still went well for those who have purchased the ticket and those who perform.
