Promoting Indonesian-French cultural relations
Promoting Indonesian-French cultural relations
The French government, through the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, signed a bilateral agreement with Indonesia in 1960
which included the support of cultural diffusion. Already
functioning toward this aim was the French Cultural Center (CCF).
Founded in 1954, it is concerned with developing bilateral
relations in informing Indonesians about French art and culture.
CCF has several main interrelated goals, but primary among
them is to promote and spread French culture to the Indonesian
public through bringing French artists to this country. This
year, the French puppet show Guignol was performed here and
ballet dancer Dominique Boivin also performed. Last year, the Les
Cousins comedic troupe, the Cirque Baroque circus and musician
Gilles Butin performed here.
Other artists who have performed here in previous years
include Sixum, a jazz rock group, Les Arts Sauts, an acrobatic
troupe, and jazz musician Didier Lockwood. Some French artists
who have derived inspiration from Indonesia include a photo
exhibition by Herve Dangla titled Belantara Jakarta and David
Massabau.
The CCF also arranges weekly showings of French films and has
arranged more major showings, like the French Film Festival I in
1996 and a second festival the following year.
It also organizes unique exhibitions, such as the poster
exhibition of Claude Levi Strauss and Ronal Curchod, and others
on comic history, paintings by Olivier Debre and Costiou, and
architecture and technology in this year's From the Building to
the City.
The CCF also works at arranging opportunities for artists from
both countries to meet, discuss and share ideas. The aim of the
workshops is for artists to produce new work through cross-
cultural dialog.
To support the development of Indonesian art and cultural
activities here and abroad, CCF sponsored Indonesian cultural
missions such as the Ramayana dance troupe to Avignon eight years
ago.
CCF invited Oscar Motuloh, a photojournalist from Antara news
service to be a member of the jury for the Biennale Photo of
Southeast Asia in Cambodia in 1997, in which two Indonesian
photographers, Rama Surya and Ray Bachtiar, were selected.
The CCF sent Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang, by one of Indonesia's
most acclaimed young film directors Garin Nugroho, to the
Biennial Film Contest of Southeast Asia, and also invited veteran
film actors Christine Hakim, Paquita Wijaya, Rosihan Anwar, Ami
Priyono and Nano and Ratna Riantiarno as guests of honor.
CCF also arranges French knowledge competitions, including
French language skills, for students aged between 16 and 22 and
for their teachers. The six winners this year -- five students
and one teacher -- have been given the opportunity to visit
France for two weeks, culminating today, July 14, with a visit to
the Elysee Palace.