Indonesia eyes cultural house in Beijing to boost public diplomacy
We hope Indonesia will partake in Shanghai and Beijing film festivals next year; we can send Indonesian filmmakers to attend,Beijing (ANTARA) - Culture Minister Fadli Zon visited China to explore initiatives aimed at promoting Indonesia through cultural diplomacy, including plans to establish an Indonesian Cultural House in Beijing.
“We are here to scout for a site for the Indonesian Cultural House and to advance preparations for next year’s cultural exhibition,” he remarked at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing on Sunday night (April 26).
Speaking before Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian citizens, and Indonesian language and culture lecturers from across China, Zon reported that the government had already opened cultural houses in several countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Turkiye, and the United States.
“I previously traveled to Shanghai for the inauguration of a center for research and cooperation in animation and video games involving the University of Indonesia,” he added.
The minister also spoke of meetings with Chinese business professionals owning galleries, museums, and production houses, noting that their involvement could help bridge Indonesia and China through cultural initiatives.
“We hope Indonesia will partake in Shanghai and Beijing film festivals next year; we can send Indonesian filmmakers to attend,” Zon said, noting that Indonesia was invited to a smaller festival in Fuzhou in 2025.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the Ministry of Culture is newly established, marking the first standalone institution dedicated to preserving and promoting Indonesian culture both domestically and globally. Previously, it was part of the Ministry of Education and Culture before President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.
The minister stressed that culture is “one of the crucial elements in national development,” as reflected in Article 31, Paragraph 1 of the 1945 Constitution.
He noted that the government aims to promote Indonesian culture through literature, oral traditions, customs, traditional games, local knowledge, manuscripts, rituals, music, film, and fine arts exhibitions.
Indonesia is blessed with immense diversity, he added, noting that the country is home to 1,340 ethnic groups and 718 languages—around 10 percent of the world’s total.
Zon also mentioned the discovery of a 67,800-year-old cave handprint in South Sulawesi by the ministry, Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Griffith University, believed to be the world’s oldest known rock art.
He highlighted that Indonesia has registered 16 cultural elements with UNESCO since 2003, including wayang, keris, batik, angklung, the pinisi boat, gamelan, pantun, traditional dances, jamu, kolintang, and kebaya. With this in mind, Zon underscored the importance of leveraging Indonesia’s cultural wealth as soft power to engage the international community—including China—while preserving heritage and generating economic benefits.
Related news: Minister Zon eyes converting SOE heritage sites into cultural spaces
Translator: Desca Lidya, Tegar Nurfitra