Acculturation Narrative of Cina Benteng on the Packaging of Cookies Produced by Koperasi Lentera Benteng Jaya

Abstract

Cina Benteng is a term for people of Chinese descent who since the Netherlands colonial era have settled in the Tangerang region, Indonesia. Acculturation with the local community is ongoing, and covers various aspects of life, such as: mixed marriage, art, culture, language, and daily activities. However, unlike most other rich Chinese people in Indonesia, Cina Benteng is a poor society. One of the local organizations provided assistance by forming a ‘Koperasi’ named "Koperasi Lentera Benteng Jaya ". The flagship product of this’Koperasi’ is cookies. The sale succeeded progressing the community's economy and had an impact on the progress of the Cina Benteng village, namely: Tehyan Village. At the end, the Tangerang City Government designated Tehyan Village as a Cultural Village and was used as one of the tourist areas in the Tangerang area. Cookies products are used as souvenirs for tourists. But unfortunately, the packaging of the superior product is still modest. The packaging are not able to represent the superiority of the product and the various uniqueness of the Cina Benteng that underlies it. This design research redesigns the cookies packaging so that it can be more representative as souvenirs packaging. The design method is carried out through the study of historical and cultural narratives, and creative strategies that raise the aspect of acculturation as a unique aspect. The results of this design research produced six types of packaging with narrative visuals, each based on the unique theme of Chinese acculturation of the Fort. The theme covers the acculturation of historical, artistic, cultural, and daily activities. This design research concludes that a packaging is not just a product container but can be positioned as a kind of entity that has its own storytelling power about the advantages of a product and the context behind it. Especially for the tourism sector, souvenir packaging can be used as an effective "tourism ambassador" in introducing the uniqueness of a tourist area and its superior products.

Keywords: narrative, acculturation, packaging, culture, Cina Benteng

DOI: 10.7176/ADS/111-01

Publication date: September 30th 2024