Kemenbud And The WR Soepratman Foundation Agree To Re-lift The Legacy Of The Creator Of Indonesia Raya

JAKARTA - The government expresses its support for efforts to preserve the work and history of WR Soepratman, a national figure who wrote the national anthem Indonesia Raya.

The Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, emphasized his commitment to facilitating the reconciliation of the Soepratman extended family and encouraging the holding of concerts and struggle song festivals as educational media for the younger generation to better recognize historical and national values.

Fadli Zon gave his appreciation to the Wage Rudolf Soepratman Meester Cornelis Jatinegara Foundation for taking the initiative to revive WR Soepratman's role in the nation's history.

"We want his work and struggle to be sustainable and can be passed on to future generations," he said when receiving the foundation management at the Ministry of Culture Building on Wednesday, June 2.

He emphasized that his ministry is ready to provide concrete support in the preservation of Soepratman's works as an integral part of the history of the national struggle.

The discussion also highlighted the historical facts of WR Soepratman being born in Jatinegara on March 9, not in Purworejo as has often been misunderstood. Fadli Zon also said that he has a collection of black disks for songs by Soepratman from the 1910s, which showed the musical wealth of the composer.

Endang Wahyuningsih, the grandson of WR Soepratman's brother who is also the representative of the foundation, outlines their vision to build an inclusive and transparent forum in the preservation of family heritage.

"So far, the preservation has been carried out by a small number of family members. We want all of his descendants to be actively involved in maintaining and continuing this legacy," he explained in a statement dated Thursday, June 3.

He also highlighted the lack of knowledge of the younger generation about the figure of Soepratman. "Many only know he is the creator of Indonesia Raya. In fact, the song 'Mrs. Kita Kartini' is also his creation," he added.

As a concrete step, the foundation proposes cooperation with the Ministry of Culture in the form of creative activities such as music festivals, singing competitions, songwriting, and drawing competitions. The goal is to reach Generation Z and Alpha through an interesting art and cultural approach.

The idea was enthusiastically welcomed by Fadli Zon. He proposed that the special concert for songs by WR Soepratman be held ahead of the commemoration of Heroes' Day, involving well-known musicians such as Addie MS, Erwin Gutawa, and Andi Rianto.

"This will be an important momentum to reap nationalism values through music," he said.

Fadli also expressed the readiness of his ministry to mediate the process of reconciliation of the Soepratman extended family.

"We can bridge the friendship between family members who have direct lineages," he added.

The meeting was also attended by figures from various foundations, such as Dario Turk, Nadra Irene Marintan, Johannes FT Turangan, and Hendro Josoprawiro. Meanwhile, from the Ministry of Culture, the Director General of Cultural Protection and Culture of Restu Gunawan, Special Staff to the Minister of Law and Intellectual Property, Putri Woelan Sari Dewi, and Director of Cultural Heritage I Made Dharma Suteja were present.