Hundreds Flock to 'Night at The Library' at TIM, Jakarta's 500th Chapter Begins
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Hundreds of visitors packed the ‘Night at The Library’ event titled ‘Jakarta 499: Writing the 500th Chapter of Jakarta City’, held by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Library and Archives Agency (Dispusip) at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Central Jakarta, on Friday evening (26/6).
‘There were 500 to 600 people participating in various literacy activities, discussions, art performances, and the launch of the 2026 HB Jassin Literature Festival,’ said Head of the Library and Archives Agency, Nasruddin Djoko Surjono, in a statement on Saturday.
He said the event served as an invitation for the public to begin filling ‘page 500’ of Jakarta through works, ideas, and literacy activities. If Jakarta has been on page 499 so far, the agency is now inviting the public to start writing page 500. ‘This means we are starting to fill a new chapter of Jakarta with positive works, ideas, and activities towards its 500th anniversary,’ he said.
Nasruddin explained that libraries today must become lively, inclusive public spaces capable of hosting various creative activities, not merely places to borrow books. ‘In truth, a library is not just a place to read books, but a place to read life,’ he stated.
He also introduced the idea of Jakarta as the ‘Mother of Stories’, depicting a city built not only through buildings and infrastructure but also through history, literature, journalism, culture, and the lives of its people. ‘If buildings are the body of a city, then stories are its soul. Jakarta is fortunate to have a very rich soul,’ Nasruddin said.
Jakarta has a long journey in the development of national literacy, from the birth of modern newspapers and Balai Pustaka to the growth of thousands of writers, journalists, publishers, cultural figures, and creative communities. Dispusip also officially launched the 2026 HB Jassin Literature Festival. The festival is a collective movement to strengthen the culture of reading, writing, discussing, and appreciating literary works. Jakarta’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature is seen as a mandate to continue building a culture of reading and critical thinking.
‘Next year, Jakarta enters its 500th year. Five centuries is not just a celebration of the city’s age, but a celebration of a city’s ability to continuously learn and pass on knowledge to the next generation,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Jakarta Library UPT and HB Jassin Literature Documentation Centre, Diki Lukman Hakim, said that besides a public discussion titled ‘Portrait of Jakarta in Literature Across the Ages’ featuring Hilmar Farid, Asep Kambali, and Avianti Armand, moderated by Jovial da Lopez, the ‘Night at the Library’ also presented a monologue of Ismail Marzuki by Sun Community, and music performances by Duo Libra, Smoothies, Alika Shafira, and Ecoutez.
According to him, the series of activities provided a space for the public to get to know Jakarta through various perspectives, from history and literature to art and collective memory. This reinforces the library’s role as a literacy centre and a public space increasingly in demand by citizens. Diki mentioned that 16 special programmes were presented during the school holidays, running from 23 June until the end of the break. These programmes include workshops, handicraft activities, storytelling, and various educational activities aimed at children. ‘In addition to coinciding with Jakarta’s anniversary, the school holidays are currently underway. For this reason, we present various activities so that children can learn while enjoying their holiday time at the library,’ Diki said.