Multisectoral Collaboration Workshop for Future Sustainability: Japanese Embroidery and Traditional Karawo Ikat Gorontalo

Future Sustainability Multisectoral Collaboration Workshop: Japanese Embroidery and Traditional Karawo Ikat Gorontalo

The Dharma Women’s Association (DWP), Gorontalo State University (UNG), the SRIREP project, UNG, and the Japan Totsuka Embroidery Association held a two-day multisectoral collaboration workshop at UNG on March 19-20, 2023. Its theme was “Multisectoral Collaboration Workshop for Future Sustainability: Traditional Karawo Ikat Gorontalo and Japanese Embroidery.”

This workshop was officially opened by Mrs. Dr. Yolanda Pateda, M.Pd., Vice Chairman of DWP UNG. In her opening remarks, she stated that this activity is the first to involve a large number of stakeholders, and it is anticipated that it will provide future benefits for the preservation of Karawo culture and the development of Karawo, particularly Karawo ikat.

This workshop aims to introduce participants (a total of 36) to Japanese embroidery, which is then combined with Karawo ikat Gorontalo to produce products that can be accepted not only in the two countries but also internationally.

As this activity is affiliated with the SRIREP project, on the first day, the SRIREP project and its relationship to Karawo were explained. Shimaoka then gave her expertise on Japanese embroidery techniques. On the second day, the participants applied the Japanese embroidery techniques they learned on the first day to the prepared Karawo ikat handkerchiefs. The motifs are determined by each participant’s imagination, resulting in an original collaborative work that belongs to each participant.

It is intended that those who have received the information can impart it to others, beginning with those in their immediate environment.

Dr. dr. Cecy Rahma Karim, Sp.GK, Chairperson of DWP UNG, closed the workshop. In her speech, she stated that DWP UNG remains committed to preserving Karawo ikat as a Gorontalo province embroidery tradition. As a physician, she stated that working on Karawo is very beneficial for brain development, so embroidery can prevent early senility or dementia.