Bali has celebrated the opening of a new cultural park. With the huge success of world-class attractions like the GWK Cultural Park, leaders are now looking to develop additional cultural parks to showcase even more nuanced, location-specific elements of Bali life.
The Regent of Badung, Wayan Adi Arnawa, has confirmed that he and his teams have been working in collaboration with Munggu Tourism Village to create the new Mekotek Park. Regent Arnawa told reporters, “The construction of this monument aligns with Badung’s vision of creating quality tourism and is a concrete manifestation of preserving traditions, arts, and culture.
The Mekotek is a traditional ritual performed by Munggu Village to ward off disaster and evil spirits. This is a ritual that is specific to Munggu Village, and now the community and the regency government are coming together to use this unique cultural practice as the gateway for tourists to explore Balinese culture and village life on an even deeper level.
Regent Arnawa confirmed to reporters that the Mekotek Park was established with IDR 2.4 billion of Badung Regency funding. He shared his hopes for the impact the new cultural park will have on tourists, the tourism sector in Badung, and even Indonesia more broadly.
Regent Arnawa shared, “We appreciate the community’s success in developing their village’s potential. This will be a legacy for our children and grandchildren, improving the quality of life and well-being of the community.”
He shared his hope that Mekotek Cultural Park will ultimately be an educational tourism destination as well as a cultural attraction.
The Regent shared his vision that the park will be a destination that can be visited by school groups and educational tours from around Indonesia and the world. He wants to see young people from across Bali come and visit Mekotek Cultural Park, as well as international tourists.
Alongside all this, Regent Arnawa is positive that the cultural park will help local community members open up new small businesses that will improve their livelihoods and improve the tourist experience too.
The Head of the Badung Tourism Office, Nyoman Ruidarta, told reporters that supporting the development of Mekotek Cultural Park is a prime example of how supporting local communities is the root of success in the tourism sector.
He shared, “The monument is also very suitable to be used as a creative economy corner and creative economy centre.”
The Mekotek Cultural Park can be found in Munggu Village, by the Tanah Lot Bypass traffic lights. The opening of the new tourism attraction is a great source of inspiration and pride for the local community and local artists who have been investing in establishing the park for years.
The cultural park is home to art installations, including stunning sculptures, and will host everything from cultural dance performances to rituals and ceremonies.
The park is home to a permanent Mekotek-inspired sculpture, which was created by all local artists. Artist Team Coordinator I Nyoman Ardana explained that the idea for the Mekotek statue had actually first been tabled in 2013. Fast forward twelve years, and the idea has finally been brought to life.
Ardana told reporters,” The idea has been around since 2013, meaning 12 years ago. This proposal came from the community, sculptors, and village leaders. From there, the planning process in the village developed, eventually making it into the budget, and finally reaching the Badung Tourism Office.”
He explained that in addition to being a stunning feature of the new cultural park, the team of artists wanted to create a new landmark for Munggu Village that would really put the community on the map. Ardana explained, “Other villages create iconic statues despite having no traditions. For example, Pererenan created the Gajah Mina statue.”
“Well, we have a tradition, why not package it into a monument? So that when people see the Mekotek statue, they immediately remember that they have arrived in Munggu. No longer using the benchmark, oh, Munggu, there’s a banyan tree at the intersection.”
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