Introducing National Culture To The World Through Global Collaboration

JAKARTA - In the era of globalization, expanding the reach of national culture to the international level has become a strategic step to strengthen the nation's identity while creating competitiveness in the global arena.

One of the increasingly relevant ways to use is through collaboration between local creative industry players and international brands, which are able to open access to new markets and audiences.

The founder and CEO of the USS Network, Sayed Muhammad, emphasized that cooperation with global brands is an effective method to promote Indonesian culture to the outside world. He conveyed this at the Creative Talks Road to the 2025 Gekraf Congress which was held in Jakarta, as quoted by ANTARA.

"Collaboration like this provides us with an opportunity to get the spotlight of international media. So, it is important to remain open to these various opportunities," said Sayed.

According to him, in introducing Indonesian culture to the global public, a subtle and gradual approach is needed. This is because the international audience tends to be more interested in something that still feels familiar or has similarities with their own culture.

As an illustration, he said pencak silat, one of Indonesia's traditional martial arts can be combined with popular martial arts such as taekwondo or muay Thai. With this approach, local elements can be introduced slowly without creating a foreign impression that is too strong.

Sayed also highlighted music as a medium that is very effective in spreading culture. He gave an example of the No Na music group which recently succeeded in attracting international attention through the cultural elements they bring in their works.

"The important thing is the gradual process. We are slowly entering so that outsiders are interested first. Later they will be curious and start digging deeper into Indonesia," he explained.

He also encouraged the government to support this effort by creating regulations that facilitate access to local brands so that they can be present in strategic spaces such as shopping centers. Thus, local identity can be maintained and strengthened in the midst of the flow of global culture.