The Beauty of Maumere Fabric at IMF-WB Meeting

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- The authenticity of Flores traditional woven fabric beautifully decorated the Indonesia Pavilion, an exhibition set up by governmental institutions on the sidelines of the 2018 International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meeting.

Bamboo poles were erected next to each other to make the walls and laid above the exhibition area to serve as the ceiling, while wooden tiles were placed to cover the entire floor. The exhibition is unlike many others often held in extravagant venues.

One of the magnets at the exhibition was an array of dyes of Maumere fabric enchanting Indonesia Pavilion visitors to take a glimpse. Maumere is known as one of the traditional woven fabric-producing hubs in Flores, Indonesia.

Rosvita, one of the Maumere fabric sellers, said an ample number of foreign visitors had been coming to see her products since the exhibition officially kicked off on Monday morning (8/10).

"Foreigners love (our products) because we use natural dyes that cause no side effects to skin," said Rosvita.

Turmeric, lime betel and various kinds of leaves are among the ingredients used to produce natural dyes for the fabric, she said. To some extent, it may require three months to produce one piece of such fabric, due to the complexity of the process.

"We begin the process with tying up the fabric before immersing it into natural dye liquid and letting it soak in. It takes seven times of dips only to have one dye stay in the fabric," said Rosvita patiently.

The long journey of dyeing and producing the fabric inevitably can take the price tag to as high as 2.5 million rupiah per piece.

Rosvita said she usually earns 50 million rupiah per month by selling the fabric. That has yet to take into account revenue she makes every time she partakes in an exhibition.

"(How much I make) depends on (whether or not I join an exhibition). I can make more than 50 million rupiah (if so)," said Rosvita.

Flores traditional woven fabric is only one of the many Indonesian products on display at the Indonesia Pavilion, for which the IMF-WB meeting committee has designated two areas. In the same area as Flores traditional products are fabrics from other regions and replicas of traditional houses from across Indonesia.

The other area in the Indonesia Pavilion showcases goods produced by 46 micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises that visitors can also buy.

(aud/vws)

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