Fadli Zon Hopes Tempe and Mak Yong Receive UNESCO Recognition This Year

JAKARTA — Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has expressed hope that tempe and the Mak Yong performing arts will be designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage by 2026. This was stated by Fadli while responding to journalists regarding the progress of Indonesia’s cultural heritage proposals to UNESCO during a media briefing on the designation of national cultural heritage for 2026, on Tuesday (19/5/2026).

“If I am not mistaken, there are two this year, namely the culture of tempe and Mak Yong. Mak Yong and tempe. Hopefully, they can be inscribed in UNESCO at the end of the year, usually in November or December,” said Fadli when met on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Culture Giring Ganesha noted that international recognition for tempe would have a significant impact on the development of MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) in Indonesia. “I want to say that once this becomes intangible cultural heritage, the economic impact on MSMEs will certainly be extraordinary,” Gaining stated during the 2025 Tempe Culture Seminar in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Mak Yong is a Malay performing art that combines elements of theatre, music, dance, and cultural ritual. This art form has developed across Southeast Asia, ranging from Pattani in Southern Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia to the Riau Islands region in Indonesia. Both proposals have been submitted by the Ministry of Culture since 2025.

Historical records indicate that ‘tempe’ was mentioned in the Serat Centhini, a 19th-century Javanese literary manuscript describing Javanese life in the 16th century. Similarly, Mak Yong theatre is a traditional performing art of the Malay people, integrating acting, music, vocals, and movement. This theatre also flourishes in the Riau Islands and Sumatra. The current submission for Mak Yong theatre serves as an extension of Malaysia’s Mak Yong Theatre, which was already included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008.