From
time to time, social and cultural
phenomena receive heightened attention
with relation to tourism.
This stems from an increased awareness
that without full consideration
on socioculture aspects,
tourism will "contribute"
disaster to the social life of
the Balinese, particularly those
who live in tourism resorts. Because
tourism itself has huge potential
to destroy the culture and the
live of the host community.
Tourism
sociologist Eric Cohen has put
the effects of tourism into ten
categories, namely: 1. The Mixing
of the indigenous people with
people from farther a field, and
the effects this might have on
their autonomy or dependence.
2. Possible change in the way
the indigenous people interact
with each other. 3. The effect
on social organizations. 4. Effects
if constant migration to and from
the tourism region. 5. Effects
on the rhythm of social life.
6. Effects on the division of
labor. 7. Effect on social stratification
and social mobility. 8. Effects
on influence and authority. 9.
The creation of social intersection.
And 10. Effects on the arts and
cultural traditions of the indigenous
people.
The
latter is of course of particular
interest to us, particularly with
relation to Bali, because the
particularly style of tourism
practice in Bali has been termend
'cultural tourism'. Meaning that
cultural is deliberately uses
as a basic capital in its development.
However, it is hope that between
the two - tourism and culture-
there is mutual, interactive and
progressive relationship to each
other. And thus it means advances
in tourism will see resultant
progress in the development of
the Balinese culture. It cannot
be denied that the arts, as a
cultural product, take one of
the most important roles in the
development of tourism in
Bali. In other parts of the world
there are accounts of tourism
ruining local art and culture.
In the pacific region itself,
tourism has displaced the role
of the art as a means of expressing
local culture. Many foreign tourists
were disappointed to find Tonga
dances long, slow and tedious;
performances in Polynesia were
too monotonous; the dances accompanying
certain ceremonies in the pacific
were slow and repetitive etc.
As anticipation, the arts "brokers"
put pressure on the people to
alter their performance art forms
so that they the people to alter
their performance art forms so
that they might be more appealing
to foreign tourists. This has
led us to assume that traditional
arts with a religious meaning
have been distorted and
the replaced with profane art
forms tailor-made for tourists
consumption-commoditized arts.
The presence of tourism forces
local people it ebter the commercial
net and to move away from social,
cultural and religious confines.
The arts are packaged, give a
price tag, and sold in the same
fashion as any other goods, And
this commercialization is seen
in every tourism region. What
about the situation on Bali? The
performing and musical arts in
particularly have indeed become
a crowd puller and consequently
a main image maker since the beginning
of tourism in Bali. As early
as 1924 brochures which were produced
showing dancing girls to promote
the island, proves that performing
arts, in this case dance had already
become an object of interest abroad.
In the early days of tourism in
Bali the performing arts were
a main menu item for overseas
visitor. Tourists were entertained
with KEBYAR DUDUK,LEGONG, and
fragments of Arjuna Wiwaha. These
dances became stock presentations
at welcoming ceremonies for foreign
guests staying at the Bali Hotel,
Denpasar during the 1920's and
1930's. |
The
important role of the arts became
all the more obvious when an arts
mission were invited to perform
in Paris 1931, since which time
the appeal of Bali as an exotic
place full of art and culture
has gone from strength ti strength.
The interesting thing is that
the arts in Bali are not sole
preserve of an elite few. In the
contrary, everybody seems involved
in some kind of arts activity,
leading anthropologist Michael
Covarrubias to comment that in
Bali, "everyone is an artist
".
commercial
rather than their ceremonial value.
Nobody can deny that to a certain
degree Bali has experienced a
commoditization of art and
culture,
and many have commented that these
has been a concomitant fall in
the quality of the art in general.
At the same time sacred art forms
have been wrenched from their
religious contexts and staged
in special versions for the sake
of tourists. This is the fate
that has been met by the Sanghyang,
Barong, Tektekan and Telek dances,
for example.
In
recent years, considering the
particular tastes and preferences
of foreign visitors, several performance
pieces have evolved especially
to cater for them, including the
Barong and Kris dance and the
Monkey dance(Kecak). Although
religious elements are still to
be seen in these performance,
emphasis is placed on their
However,
tourism does not only bring negative
influences. Balinese arts have
also enjoyed positive influences
in at leapt five areas,
each interdependent of the other.
Firstly tourism provides a platform
on which to performs a wide variety
of art forms, many of which were
beginning to go out of favor with
the local people, and hence in
many cases there have been welcome
some revivals. Tourism is then
seen as preserver of lost
art forms, for example the Joged
style of the Bangli regency. Secondly
tourism has given Balinese artists
yet another reason to work. This
is seen in the countless instances
of artistes instances of artistes
putting on show which include
a number if aesthetically and
stylistically varied items performed
within a relatively short period
of time. There have therefore
evolved a number of short performance
pieces especially for
this
purpose. Similarly channeled creativity
can also be seen in the field
of handicrafts where new forms
of carving and sculpting have
evolved which no longer depend
on conventional practices. Trees,
fruits, flower and animal forms
have all come about largely due
to the influence of tourism. Thirdly,
in connection with this revitalized
creativity. Balinese arts have
acquired a new richness of form,
quality and also quantity. New
forms have arisen and older forms
have been either revived or preserved.
Forty, tourism has
forced
the Balinese to reflect on their
artistic output as just one cultural
identifier. The presence of visitor
who continually praise Balinese
art and culture has given people
a kind of confidence and pride
in their art, and made them truly
believe that their culture so
glorious and thus worthy of this
praise and therefore justly admired.
This realization removed any possibility
in the people minds that their
art was in any way inferior to
the art of advanced motions, and
play an important role in conserving
and developing the art in general.
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