Minister of Culture Invites Saudi Arabia to Trace the Traces of Indonesian Islam and Art

JAKARTA - The Minister of Culture (Menbud) of the Republic of Indonesia Fadli Zon brought the Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan AlSaud to review the National Museum of Indonesia and the National Gallery of Indonesia, Monday, April 13. The visit was part of the Indonesia-Saudi Arabia talks to expand cultural cooperation, from museums to intangible cultural heritage.

At the National Museum, the two ministers reviewed the Early History exhibition which contained the narrative of the Nusantara journey from the ancient geological process to early human life. Fadli explained that the exhibition was compiled to show the long journey of the Nusantara civilization comprehensively and based on scientific studies.

He emphasized that Indonesia is one of the important regions in the study of human evolution. The traces can be seen, among others, from the discovery of Homo erectus in Java, as well as the position of Nusantara as a meeting space for various migrations and cultural developments since prehistoric times.

The entourage also saw the exhibition Misykat: Light of Islamic Civilization which featured more than 300 artifacts, ranging from Qur'an manuscripts, tombstones, artwork, to archaeological findings from various regions. According to Fadli, this exhibition shows that Islam in Indonesia has been present since the beginning and has developed through interaction with local culture, then formed a strong pattern of civilization in the community.

After the National Museum, the visit continued to the National Gallery of Indonesia. There, the Saudi delegation reviewed the Indonesian Women Artists #4 on the Map: Art, Science, Technology, and Culture exhibition which featured the works of 12 Indonesian female artists with the theme of art, science, and technology.

The entourage also saw the permanent collection of the National Gallery, including the rooms that display the works of Raden Saleh and Affandi. Fadli explained the important traces of the works of the maestros in the history of Indonesian fine art.

Previously, the two ministers held a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta. The agenda discussed included updates on memorandums of understanding and high-level cultural partnerships, cooperation on intangible cultural heritage at UNESCO, support for Indonesia's candidacy as a member of the IGC-ICH, strengthening cooperation between museums, protection and rehabilitation of cultural heritage, and development of the creative economy through film, literature, and artist exchanges.

The Saudi delegation present included Assistant Minister of Culture Rakan Ibrahim Altuoq and General Manager of International Cultural Relation Abdullah Mohammed Alraddadi. From the Indonesian side, Deputy Minister of Culture Giring Ganesha Djumaryo and a number of officials from the Ministry of Culture were also present.