Ni Ketut Arini teaches girls Pendet in Denpasar, Bali. She was a student of Pendet creator I Wayan Rindi, who died in 1967
Discovery Channel will produce a 30-minute program on the pendet dance to try and alleviate tensions between Malaysia and Indonesia, Malaysia’s Star newspaper reported on Saturday. Discovery South-East Asia senior vice president and general manager Kevin Dickie said the programme would be aired on the channel throughout the Asia-Pacific. He said the network was deeply concerned by the latest developments in Jakarta and reiterated that the use of the pendet clip was a mistake and was in no way a malicious attempt to undermine Indonesia. “It was a human error by an independent producer that Discovery Network takes responsibility for,” he said in a statement. “We hope the current situation will ultimately lead to a broader debate and understanding of the richness of both Malaysian and Indonesian cultures,” he said. The Balinese pendet dance was featured in a 30-second promotional piece produced for Discovery Channel to promote the series "Enigmatic Malaysia." It led to uproar from Indonesians claiming that it was an attempt by Malaysia to steal the country’s cultural heritage.
