Me and You, to the Sea
Maritime has long been an important aspect of the development and sustainability of many countries around the world. Economic welfare, security, and strategic interests are often closely related to maritime success. Human life throughout history has been heavily dependent on the sea and its oceans (Murniningnyas, 2016).
Society's view of the sea needs to be encouraged to go beyond mere economic aspects such as tourism, marine resource catch, and transportation routes. The abundance of marine resources poses both an advantage and a security threat to the country. Indonesia, which has been the world's maritime axis since the age of ocean exploration, continues to be a major international transit route.
Involving communities living along the coast and islands can foster a shared understanding of these threats. For communities that support maritime culture, forms of preserving biodiversity and non-biological resources around their living and activity areas are a way to engage and enhance understanding of the importance of their living environment. Communities preserving their environment represent an imaginary defense against foreign elements that constantly threaten the waters of the archipelago. The daily activities of fishermen venturing out to the farthest points, inter-island travel, tourism activities, and other supporting activities keep the waters of the islands alive with human bustle. This creates an imaginary defense that can protect against foreign threats to the waters of the archipelago.
Activities that are routine for maritime communities are an integral part of the maritime defense system that has become the full responsibility of the government. On one hand, the government continues to develop the maritime defense system along with the rejuvenation and modernization of primary weapon systems, while on the other hand, the community has a task that cannot be taken lightly. The sustainability of the community's environmental activities will be directly proportional to the survival of the self-sustaining defense ecosystem. An unsustainable marine environment lacking abundant marine resources with biodiversity and non-biological resources will gradually be abandoned by humans. Involvement of stakeholders, including the central government, local governments, local communities, and beneficiaries, becomes a necessity.
If the marine environment and waters begin to deteriorate, the outermost islands may be abandoned by their inhabitants or community activities, indirectly shifting the community's maritime security oversight and no longer serving as a route for community activities. This will pose territorial threats, even if they are limited to foreign fishermen's activities. Furthermore, there are prohibited activities by foreign patrol boats crossing national borders. Several countries have experienced what is referred to as the Collapse of Maritime Glory, which includes a significant decline in their maritime success. This may involve a decrease in maritime capacity, a decline in maritime trade, an increase in maritime security incidents, or even damage to vital marine ecosystems (Surya, 2014). Therefore, it all begins with the degradation of the marine environment that will spill over into various aspects, including regional security.
A cultural approach to addressing these issues can serve as an option for environmental rescue and preservation. Knowledge about the environment and marine resources among maritime communities varies by region, depending on the biodiversity and non-biological resources in each area. The community's understanding of this knowledge system is passed down through generations to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy its sustainability. In short, the traditional knowledge system regarding marine life has been understood, such as knowing the locations and breeding grounds, estimating the number and condition of populations, and observing the behavior of marine biota based on experience.
The IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel aims to preserve and promote Indonesia's diverse culture to the wider community, both domestically and internationally, through programs that highlight various aspects of Indonesian culture, such as arts, customs, traditions, and history. The IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel seeks to enhance public knowledge and awareness of Indonesian culture through educational and informative programs presented in an engaging and easily understandable manner for all audiences.
Cultural content related to the preservation of maritime culture currently available on the IndonesianaTV platform is "Ako and the Sea." The "Ako and the Sea" program is an animated series about the daily lives of children living in the eastern coastal areas of Indonesia. This series helps Indonesian children become more familiar with their homeland, the Maritime Nation. It brings children closer to the sea. The sea is not a divider but rather a connector. The exciting experiences of Ako and his friends are always viewed from the perspective of children's thinking, which is innocent, funny, straightforward, yet also creative. Of course, the strength of this animated series lies in the children's world, rich with play, friendship, and a spirit of adventure that will add color to the story in each episode.
The cultural content featured on the IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel is a form of good practice that is expected to provide educational information aimed at achieving the sustainability of Indonesian culture and serving as a guide for future generations. Happy National Maritime Day, August 21, from "Ako and the Sea" we can learn.
References
Murniningnyas, E. (2016). Strategic Initiative for Optimizing the Utilization of Marine Potential Towards Realizing Indonesia as a Maritime Axis, [Final Report]. Deputy for Maritime Affairs and Natural Resources, National Development Planning Agency.
Surya, T. A. (2014). Optimization of National Maritime Development. Brief Info: Economics and Public Policy, 6(20): 13