5 Southeast Asian countries unite to nominate kebaya for UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
The kebaya, a traditional Southeast Asian garment, is being nominated by Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore for 2023’s UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Singapore has been running a campaign on Facebook to get the kebaya included on UNESCO’s list since it first announced the effort in a press release on Nov. 23, 2022.
While Singapore distributed the press release, the Southeast Asian city-state noted that Malaysia proposed and coordinated the plan. In a Q&A posted on Feb. 16, Singapore’s National Heritage Board explained that the countries would be sending their nomination to UNESCO by this month. As part of the submission process, each of them would need to “showcase their efforts in promoting and safeguarding the kebaya” and gather “community support and consent for the nomination.”
Although Indonesia was not listed in the first official draft of the press release for the nomination in November 2022, the Southeast Asian country was eventually added to the list by Singapore’s National Heritage Board. "The five countries agreed to work together on this multinational nomination as the kebaya represents and celebrates the region’s rich shared history, promotes cross-cultural understanding and continues to be actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia," the National Heritage Board wrote.
The Asian blouse that tells a tale of many cultures
There's one garment in Southeast Asia that embodies fashion, heritage and national pride
Under the studio spotlights, Indonesian-born designer Stacy Stube smoothed out the chocolate-brown lace on her cutting table. She carefully pinned the pattern to the fabric, determined not to tear it, then dutifully traced its outline in chalk. The task weighed heavy on her shoulders, knowing that she was not just creating a dress, but making a garment that was once a symbol of rebellion and remains endowed with history.
The kebaya is a garment that women like Stube's seamstress great-grandmother made in the islands of Indonesia, and one that is also found in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand. Each region has made the kebaya their own, and each stitch tells a tale of their own history. It is so beloved by these five countries that they have joined together to nominate the kebaya for the Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage List in March 2023. "The kebaya cuts across countries and ethnicities," said Cedric Tan, former president of the Persatuan Peranakan Baba Nyonya Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, a society in Malaysia for Peranankan people, who was involved in the nomination.
The kebaya is believed to have its roots in the Middle East. The qaba, a jacket that is said to be of Turkic origin, took its name from the Persian word for a "robe of honour", and Javanese royals and society women were found to be wearing a similar open-fronted garment when the Portuguese arrived in Java in 1512, according to American fashion history professors Linda Welters and Abby Lillethun in the book Fashion History: A Global View. The garment eventually took its name from the Portuguese word "caba" or "cabaya", meaning "tunic". Jackie Yoong, senior curator for fashion and textiles at the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum in Singapore, said that there is another reason why it's clear the kebaya has its roots in the Middle East: "When you lift up the arm of the kebaya there is a triangular patch under the arm like the robes from the Middle East; other jackets such as the Ming style [from China] are flat cut." The kebaya became a word used for both men and women's robes or blouses, but from the 19th Century onwards, it became synonymous in Southeast Asia with a women's blouse paired with a batik sarong. This style became popular with Dutch women during the times of the Dutch East Indies (in what is now Indonesia) and was also adopted by women in Southeast Asia who followed Islam and wanted to dress more modestly.
Unesco bid for the kebaya: A look at the fashion uniting 5 South-east Asian countries
The kebaya is a woman’s tunic which is part of the “sarong kebaya” or “kain kebaya”, and is worn in a variety of styles across South-east Asia. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
It has been decided - The kebaya will be going to Unesco.
Five South-east Asian countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – will be jointly nominating the traditional women’s garment, which is popular in the region, to be inscribed on the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Humanity.
The bid is expected to be ready by the end of March.
related:
Singapore among 4 countries to nominate the kebaya for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list
Singapore, together with Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, will nominate the kebaya for inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, said the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a media release on Wednesday (Nov 23). This will mark Singapore's first multinational nomination, and the first multinational nomination involving the four countries, the board added.
The multinational nomination of the traditional women's dress, which represents a significant part of Singapore’s Malay and port city heritage, and also reflects the unique blend of cultures in Southeast Asia, was first proposed and coordinated by Malaysia. "Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand agreed to work together on this multinational nomination as kebaya represents and celebrates the region’s rich shared history, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia," said NHB, adding that other countries are also welcome to join the nomination.
The list was developed by UNECO in 2008 and is made up of intangible cultural heritage elements from different countries. It seeks to raise awareness of the importance of such practices and expressions, encourage dialogue that respects cultural diversity, as well as give due recognition to the practices and expressions of communities worldwide. To qualify for a successful nomination, UNESCO will focus on aspects such as how the kebaya is aligned with the agency's definition of intangible cultural heritage, and how the nomination effort has involved the participation of the community in each participating country.
related:
Kebaya
A kebaya worn with batik sarong by Peranakan women in the early 20th century
A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. It is also worn in parts of southern Philippines and Cambodia.
Kebaya is an upper garment opened at the front traditionally made from lightweight fabrics such as brocade, cotton, gauze, lace, or voile, sometimes adorned with embroidery. The front is secured with either buttons, pins, or brooches. The lower garment for the outfit is known as sarong, kemben or kain, a long piece of cloth wrapped and tucked around the waist or under the armpits, either made out of batik, ikat, songket or tenun.
Kebaya is officially recognised as the national attire of Indonesia and its fashion icon although it is more popularly worn by Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese people. In Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, it is recognized as one of its ethnic attires especially among Malay and Peranakan communities. The complete outfit is known in these region as "sarong kebaya". The style of sarong kebaya vary from place to place throughout the region. Kebaya has become a Southeast Asian fashion icon, with many Southeast Asian flag carrier airlines including Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines and Garuda Indonesia adopting the traditional clothing as the uniforms for their female flight attendants
Peranakan
Peranakan, in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, a native-born person of mixed local and foreign ancestry. There are several kinds of Peranakans, namely Peranakan Chinese, Peranakan Arabs, Peranakan Dutch, and Peranakan Indians. The Peranakan Chinese, however, form the largest and the most important group, and for this reason many scholars use Peranakan to refer specifically to the Chinese group.
Until the end of the 19th century, the immigration of Chinese to the Indonesian archipelago was limited because of difficulties in transportation. Most of those who reached the island of Java were men, mainly from the southern provinces of China, who then married indigenous women, usually nominal Muslims or non-Muslims. In time these immigrants, their local wives, and their descendants formed a stable Peranakan Chinese community. Peranakans partly adopted the indigenous way of life and generally spoke the local language rather than Chinese. Along the northern coast of Java, where the Chinese population of insular Southeast Asia was concentrated, a combination of Bazaar Malay and Hokkien dialect was used as a common language, and this language later became known as Bahasa Melayu Tionghoa (Chinese Malay). The Peranakan Chinese community was firmly established in the Indonesian archipelago by the mid-19th century and had become self-contained with a decline in intermarriage. New immigrants were rapidly assimilated into the Peranakan community because there was no mass immigration.
In Singapore and Malaysia the term Peranakan refers primarily to Straits-born Chinese—that is, to those born in the former Straits Settlements (specifically, Singapore, Penang, and Melaka) or in the former British Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia) and their descendants. Straits-born Chinese men are commonly called Baba, whereas the women are called Nyonya. The Hokkien-Malay creole characteristic of the Singaporean and Malaysian Peranakan population is known as Baba Malay; since the mid-20th century, however, the language has largely been replaced by local forms of English.
UNESCO Representative List 2024
Youths are dressed in kebaya for a cultural performance in the opening ceremony of the 8th Engagement Thailand National Academic Conference on 9 August 2022 in Trang province, Thailand
Kebaya - knowledge, skills, traditions and practices of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore
Craft and Practices related to Kebaya
Kebaya is an upper garment that is traditionally made from fabrics such as velvet, cotton, gauze, lace, or voile, and at times adorned with embroidery. It is typically identified as a blouse or tunic with the collar extending from the back of the neck down to the hems on either side of the front body. The front is secured with either buttons, pins, or kerongsang (brooch), with an accompanying lower garment known as sarong or kain; a long piece of cloth wrapped and tucked around the waist, which may at times secured with a tali pinggang (belt) or stagen (cummerbund).
In Singapore, kebaya is worn by women from various communities. It has, and continues to be, a central aspect in the representation and display of cultural heritage and identity for Malay, Peranakan, and other communities in Singapore, and is a notable part of our heritage as a multi-cultural port city. Kebaya is traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. As maritime trade grew over time, kebaya gradually became increasingly prevalent in Malay and Peranakan communities, including in Singapore, as a multi-cultural port city, with links across many communities in Southeast Asia and the world.
While the styles of kebaya and sarong, as well as the materials and embellishments that are worn with them vary across the region, there are generally two basic styles of kebaya, namely kebaya panjang/labuh (long kebaya) and kebaya pendek (short kebaya). Kebaya panjang/labuh is a full-length dress with a front opening that is traditionally fastened with either kerongsang (brooch), pins or buttons. Kebaya pendek reaches the hip and is recognisable through its distinct figure-hugging characteristic that is made to emphasise the silhouette of the body. The latter style of kebaya was especially popular among young women in cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang.
MULTINATIONAL NOMINATION FOR THE INSCRIPTION OF KEBAYA ONTO THE UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE LIST OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have jointly submitted the multinational nomination to inscribe “Kebaya: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices” on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity in end March 2023. The five countries agreed to work together on a multinational nomination for the first time, to celebrate kebaya as a form of shared history in the region, and an ICH element that transcends ethnicity and religion, facilitates dialogues and unites Southeast Asian communities. Kebaya continues to be actively produced and worn by many communities today, and the nomination is an opportunity to promote cross-cultural understanding amongst different communities in the region.
The nomination file submitted to UNESCO includes:
- the official nomination form
- a set of 15 photos representing how kebaya is practiced and safeguarded in the participating countries
- letters of consent and support from community representatives from all the participating countries
- a video featuring the consent and support for the nomination by kebaya community members from all the participating countries
- a 10-minute Multinational Nomination of Kebaya video to provide the Evaluation Body and the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the ICH, which will be assessing our submission, a better understanding of how kebaya is practised and safeguarded in the participating countries
UNESCO will evaluate the nomination file collectively submitted by all five participating countries and a decision on the nomination will be reached in end 2024.
National Heritage Board is with Oh Dear Studio 21 February
Our community is looking good in their kebaya! 😍🌺 Tell us which one is your favourite via the comments below!
#ICYMI, Singapore is making its first multinational nomination for the kebaya to be inscribed onto UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. Show us your best dressed moments and favourite memories of your kebaya in photos/videos featuring the #WeHeartKebaya hashtag and stand a chance to win a special studio photoshoot or vouchers from local kebaya brands.
To learn more about the nomination campaign, visit go.gov.sg/we-heart-kebaya
Singapore hawker culture listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
Unesco's 24-member committee unanimously accepted Singapore's application
Hawker culture in Singapore has been officially added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In virtual proceedings that took place on Wednesday night (Dec 16), a 24-member international committee unanimously accepted Singapore's application. The process took all of three minutes, after nearly three years of work by the National Heritage Board, the National Environment Agency and the Federation of Merchants' Associations. As Singapore's application fulfilled all criteria, it was decided that there was no need for debate on it at the 15th session of the intergovernmental committee.
The successful nomination means Singapore now has its first item on the intangible cultural heritage list, which currently has 463 entries including yoga in India and Belgian beer. It is also the country's second entry to any Unesco list. The first came in 2015 when the Singapore Botanic Gardens was designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Peranakan Story
Peranakan Shophouses in Joo Chiat | © JUJUlianar/Flickr
The history of Singapore’s Peranakan culture goes as far back as the 15th century, when Chinese immigrants were settling in Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) in increasing numbers. Today, the Straits-born Chinese, also known as Peranakan Chinese, are the descendants of those immigrants. Historically, they were often traders and embraced culture from both the local Malaysian culture as well as the colonial British.
The first wave of Chinese immigrants to Malaya and Indonesia arrived in the 10th century, however, the practice became much more common in the 15th century, when trade embargoes were lifted and further exacerbated by China’s failing economy. At the outset, it was common for Chinese men to take on Batak and Balinese slave wives. After the original settlements, the descended Peranakans moved in greater numbers between different countries in the region, maintaining separate colonies from the locals.
Many aspects of Peranakan culture can still be found in Singapore and Malaysia, such as the traditional food and architecture. The traditional Peranakan food is referred to as nonya food, meaning women. The flavors of Peranakan cuisine take inspiration from Malay and Indonesia, however, one of the biggest differences is that Peranakan dishes often involve pork, such as babi pongteh, a dish of braised pork with salted bean paste. One of the most popular Peranakan dishes is beef rendang, where beef is stewed in coconut milk and spices.
Singapore Botanic Gardens declared UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Botanic Gardens met two of these criteria – it reflected an interchange of human values and illustrated a significant stage in human history
The 156-year-old gardens’ nomination was put up for discussion and decision-making by the 21-member committee today. Including the Botanic Gardens, the committee will be examining 36 proposals nominated to be inscribed on the World Heritage list.
The committee had unanimously adopted the expert panel International Council on Monuments and Sites’ (Icomos) recommendation to inscribe the Botanic Gardens for inscription without reservation — the best recommendation possible — in May.
To qualify, the site must possess an “outstanding universal value” that reflects their unique position in global history. Likewise, they need to meet at least one out of the ten selection criteria to be successfully inscribed.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Situated at the heart of the city of Singapore, the site demonstrates the evolution of a British tropical colonial botanic garden that has become a modern world-class scientific institution used for both conservation and education. The cultural landscape includes a rich variety of historic features, plantings and buildings that demonstrate the development of the garden since its creation in 1859. It has been an important centre for science, research and plant conservation, notably in connection with the cultivation of rubber plantations, in Southeast Asia since 1875.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is situated at the heart of the city of Singapore and demonstrates the evolution of a British tropical colonial botanic garden from a ‘Pleasure Garden’ in the English Landscape Style, to a colonial Economic Garden with facilities for horticultural and botanical research, to a modern and world-class botanic garden, scientific institution and place of conservation, recreation and education. The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a well-defined cultural landscape which includes a rich variety of historic landscape features, plantings and buildings that clearly demonstrate the evolution of the Botanic Gardens since its establishment in 1859. Through its well-preserved landscape design and continuity of purpose, the Singapore Botanic Gardens is an outstanding example of a British tropical botanic garden which has also played a key role in advances in scientific knowledge, particularly in the fields of tropical botany and horticulture, including the development of plantation rubber.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens has been a centre for plant research in Southeast Asia since the 19th century, contributing significantly to the expansion of plantation rubber in the 20th century, and continues to play a leading role in the exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise in tropical botany and horticultural sciences. While the Kew Botanic Gardens (United Kingdom) provided the initial seedlings, the Singapore Botanic Gardens provided the conditions for their planting, development and distribution throughout much of Southeast Asia and elsewhere. The Singapore Botanic Gardens is an outstanding example of a British tropical colonial botanic garden and is notable for its preserved landscape design and continuity of purpose since its inception.
Peranakan Dressings - The Kebaya
