Sekar Rinonce Batik Foundation

Our small group will reconvene and drive to the Sekar Rinonce Batik Foundation. The foundation was established to help preserve the traditional "hand-waxed" Batik craft, which is under serious threat from the mass-produced printed textiles that copy the Batik designs. During the hour or so that we spend here, we'll meet with a senior artist for an introduction to Batik and witness a demonstration of the traditional wax method.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Filipina domestic worker who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for drug trafficking, sentenced to death, but ultimately repatriated to the Philippines in December 2024 after a prisoner transfer agreement, having always maintained her innocence. Her high-profile case drew international attention to Indonesia's strict drug laws and death penalty.

Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina woman who spent over a decade on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking, became a skilled batik artisan during her 14 years of incarceration in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She used her time in prison to teach, design, and create Indonesian batik, a traditional textile art, and was known for helping other inmates develop their skills.
Here are the key details regarding Mary Jane Veloso and her batik work:
Teaching and Skill Development: While at the Yogyakarta Women's Correctional Institution Class IIB, she became skilled at making batik, which involves waxing and dyeing textiles to create intricate patterns.
A "Life-Saving" Skill: Her ability to create these, along with other handicrafts, was part of her rehabilitation and provided her with a sense of purpose during her long detention.
Repatriation and New Role: After her death sentence was delayed following the arrest of her alleged recruiters in the Philippines, an agreement was reached in late 2024 for her to return to the Philippines to serve the remainder of her sentence.Läs mer