Hollywood Shooting Locations to Modern Museum: Peek at Fadli Zon's Big Plans for Indonesian Culture
JAKARTA - Indonesia is preparing to bring its cultural wealth to the world stage in a more popular and modern way. Not to mention, the United States is a strategic partner that is targeted to strengthen the national cultural ecosystem, ranging from museum transformation to collaboration with the Hollywood film industry.
The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, has just held a strategic dialogue with Peter M. Haymond, Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy, on Monday (12/1) in Jakarta. This meeting is not just a formal discussion, but a way to open the way for a more fresh and globally relevant cultural collaboration.
Museums are no longer just places to store ancient items
One of the main points on this agenda is to change the face of museums in Indonesia so that they appear more representative and current. Fadli Zon emphasized that museums must become "cultural showcases" that are able to attract the attention of the world community.
This revitalization is strengthened by concrete cooperation with world-renowned institutions, such as:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Cooperation in research and exhibitions.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met): Exchange of collections and joint research.
This step was also accompanied by the success of Indonesia in repatriating (repatriation) various cultural heritage objects from abroad, including important fossils brought by Eugene Dubois, as an effort to strengthen national identity.
Opening the Door for Hollywood in Indonesia
For film lovers, there is exciting news. Fadli Zon encourages diplomacy through popular culture, especially the film sector which is currently growing rapidly. Indonesia is offered as a filming location for Hollywood films, following in the footsteps of the success of the film Eat, Pray, Love in Bali.
Hopefully, the presence of international film production will not only increase the profile of tourism (sport tourism or cultural tourism), but also provide a space for collaboration for local filmmakers and talents.
Technology Touch: Local Language Digitization
In the digital era, cultural preservation must also involve technology. Peter M. Haymond welcomed this cooperation plan by offering a local language documentation and digitization program.
This is very relevant considering that Indonesia has hundreds of regional languages that need to be maintained so that they do not disappear over time, as well as making them educational digital content.
"Efforts (museum management) are not merely a symbol of identity, but a strategy to make museums as a showcase of Indonesian culture that is globally relevant," said Fadli Zon.
With the synergy between history, performing arts, and the film industry, the face of Indonesian culture in the future is predicted to be more dynamic, inclusive, and of course, global.