The Role of the Indonesian Government in Maintaining the Sustainability of Traditional Gamelan Musical Instruments

Preserving gamelan as a dynamic and living tradition of Indonesia's intangible cultural heritageis increasingly difficult in the face of modernization, globalization, and the changing culturalinterests of its younger generations. Formerly integral to spiritual ceremonies, communityevents, and artistic productions, gamelan now faces a decline in visibility in everyday life, ashift felt especially among a younger generation drawn to popular entertainment forms,influenced by contemporary and globalized culture. Moreover, uneven regional developmentalso has generated disparities in gamelan transmission and conservation among variousprovinces. The study seeks to investigate the ways in which the Indonesian government,cultural organisations and grassroots communities are collaboratively attempting to preserveand regenerate gamelan as a traditional music and as a cultural resource of diplomatic value.Based on qualitative methodology, the analyses in this article are drawn almost exclusivelyfrom secondary sources, including academic literature, media publications,expert interviewsand government documents. By thematic analysis, the study points out different efforts andstrategies to maintain gamelan, such as national educational programmes like the programme“Gamelan Masuk Sekolah”, international festivals like the IGF, as well as the embedding ofgamelan in cultural tourism and school curricula. The results show that such investmentfollowed by international recognition, especially by the signing of gamelan in the UNESCORepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021, has significantlyboosted domestic appreciation and global recognition of gamelan. But there are also realobstacles, such as maintaining policy continuity between regions and more effectively pullingyoung people into the process. The study finds that gamelan can only remain strong incontinuous collaboration between government departments, educators, cultural workers, andlocal communities. A multi-layered combination of policy innovation, intergenerationaltransmission and cultural diplomacy is critical to safeguarding gamelan as a living traditionand an independent proof of its great vibrant culture.