Peeling About Empowerment In Indonesia, Minister Fadli Zon: Our Cultural Capital Is Very Strong

Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Fadli Zon, M.Sc. (Doc. Ministry of Culture)

JAKARTA - Indonesia has very strong cultural capital because the existing culture is apparently older than Europe.

This was revealed by the Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, he conveyed with uranium series published in 2014, prehistoric images in France and Spain aged 30,000 - 35.000 years, while ancient paintings on prehistoric caves in Maros and Pangkep were 40,000 to 39,000 years old.

I think this is very authentic evidence that there is already a strong civilization (in Indonesia)," he said at the "Cultural Light of the Cultural University" event as a result of the collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) in Makassar, January 15, 2025. Present at this event were the Chancellors and Deans of UNHAS, Director General of Cultural and Traditional Protection and officials within the Ministry of Culture, as well as students.

In the era of information, disruption of technology and cross-border culture, the challenges that arise are how we maintain and utilize culture to remain relevant without losing its roots. Because, said Minister Fadli, if we look at other countries, culture is the foundation. They show the tangible (real) aspects of their culture through museums and libraries.

According to Minister Fadli, they make the results of their culture part of the journey of their civilization. "Meanwhile, we have not yet reached the 'luxury' (luxury) in seeing the richness of our own culture," he explained.

During his visit to Makassar, Minister Fadli visited the Leang Leang archaeological park. According to him, this site is extraordinary. There must be one promotion, there must be a strong literacy narrative on the evidence of traces of ancient civilization in Indonesia which shows that we are apart from being rich and mega-diversity, we are also the oldest civilizations in the world," he said

"Regarding this, it can be a departure point for reinventing Indonesian identity (rediscovering our cultural identity). We make culture as a power of 'The Power of Culture' in building and shaping our character process and national building," continued Minister of Culture. On this occasion Minister Fadli encouraged UNHAS not only to be a pioneer in cultural research, but also to contribute in maintaining important sites. The human skeleton researched by UNHAS is one proof of extraordinary scientific contributions. Therefore, he invites all parties to strengthen synergy, either through inter-institutional cooperation or with the private sector.

"In the future, we must encourage closer collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, universities, and the private sector through a public-private partnership program. This is a strategic step in the preservation of culture in the globalization era," he concluded.