The Ministry of Culture prepares Kawi Aksara to UNESCO, supports the 2027 National Congress

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Culture has begun preparing steps to propose Kawi script as a cultural heritage to UNESCO. In addition, the government also supports the holding of the Kawi Script Congress in 2027 as part of efforts to strengthen the preservation of one of the ancient scripts of the archipelago.

The commitment was conveyed by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon when receiving La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti together with the activists of Aksara Kawi from the Satria Lelaku Nusantara Foundation at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Tuesday (30/6).

Fadli said that Aksara Kawi is part of the Cultural Development Object that needs to be preserved through collaboration between the government, community, academics, and various stakeholders.

"We appreciate all forms of cultural development efforts, especially those related to language and script as part of the Cultural Development Object," said Fadli.

According to Fadli, Aksara Kawi has the opportunity to be submitted to UNESCO through a joint nomination scheme because traces of its use are not only found in Indonesia, but also in the Philippines, southern Thailand, and southern Cambodia.

In addition, the government is also considering an urgent safeguarding scheme given the continued use of the Kawi Alphabet needs to be maintained.

Fadli also proposed the compilation of an encyclopedia of Nusantara characters as a step to strengthen the documentation of various traditional characters in Indonesia.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Culture also expressed support for the plan to hold the Kawi Aksara Congress in 2027 as a national collaboration forum for the community, academics, and observers of the alphabet.

Meanwhile, the Founder of the Satria Lelaku Nusantara La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti Foundation explained the plan to build the Kawi Aksara Portal as a common space to gather communities and strengthen preservation movements in the digital era.

"We will build the Kawi Aksara Portal as a common space to gather the community, expand collaboration, and strengthen efforts to preserve Kawi Aksara," he said.

Editor-in-Chief of the Aksara Kawi Portal Rachmad Setiawan added that the portal was designed to be an information center as well as a collaboration node for communities, academics, governments, and cultural industry players. The portal is also expected to support manuscript studies, cadre development of script activists, and the development of UMKM based on Aksara Kawi.

Through this step, the Ministry of Culture hopes that the preservation of Aksara Kawi will not only rely on documentation, but also develop into a cultural movement that utilizes the digital ecosystem and cross-institutional collaboration.