Indonesia, Rwanda, And Uzbekistan Agree To Strengthen Cultural Cooperation

DENPASAR - The international Forum for Culture, Heritage, Art, Narrative, Diplomacy, and Innovation (CHANDI) 2025 has again become a cultural diplomacy stage. The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, uses this international forum to expand the network and strengthen cultural collaboration with Rwanda and Uzbekistan. Two bilateral meetings held Thursday, September 4 at The Meru Sanur, Bali, present a new commitment: a shared legal umbrella in the field of culture.

The meeting with the Ambassador of Rwanda for Indonesia, Abdul Karim Harelimana, took place warmly. Menbud Fadli recalled his visit to Kigali two years ago and called Rwanda the cleanest country in Africa. Rwanda has a clean culture that should be imitated. I hope we can immediately sign the MoU as the umbrella for cultural cooperation," said Minister of Culture Fadli. Ambassador Abdul Karim emphasized the importance of culture as the identity of the nation. If we lose culture, we lose the future. We look forward to concrete follow-up to this collaboration," he said.

Not only Rwanda, Uzbekistan also comes with the same spirit. Deputy Minister of Culture, Yusufjon Usmanov, underlined the long history of relations between the two countries. The theatrical show about Imam Al-Bukhari and Sukarno in April 2025 he called it proof of cultural closeness. "We have prepared six frameworks of cooperation, ranging from film production, expert exchange, to Uzbekistan Day in Indonesia. All of this needs to be stated in a memorandum of understanding," said Usmanov.

Menbud Fadli welcomed the proposal. "There are many collaboration opportunities, from cultural heritage, performance arts, to music. We are ready to arrange a cultural MoU with Uzbekistan," he said. This meeting is also an official invitation for Menbud Fadli to attend Uzbekistan at the 43rd UNESCO General Conference.

These two bilateral agendas show how CHANDI 2025 is not just a cultural festival, but a strategic arena that brings together ideas, history, and the future. From Kigali to Tashkent, from Bali to the world, Indonesian cultural diplomacy is increasingly finding its form: binding on friendship through legacy, art, and living identity.