Fadli Zon Asks For A Copy Of Diponegoro's Digital Collection When Visiting Leiden University Library

Menbud Fadli Zon during his visit to the library of Leiden University (Doc. Kemenbud)

LEIDEN Minister of Culture Fadli Zon asked the Leiden University Library to share an important digital copy of Prince Diponegoro and the Java War. Visiting the location, the copy is planned to be displayed at the National Exhibition of the 200 Years of the Diponegoro War which will be held in July 2025 in Indonesia.

Fadli Zon also reviewed the collection of Indonesian documentary heritages stored in the Leiden University Library, Saturday, June 14. During the visit, he also discussed with the Director of the Library Kurt De Belder and KITLV Director Prof. Dr. Wim van den Doel.

Leiden is the center of world knowledge about Southeast Asia. We need to bridge this collection with the younger generation of Indonesia through digitalization and open access," said Menbud Fadli Zon in an official broadcast received by VOI, June 14.

Leiden's library has more than half of their digital collections related to Indonesia, ranging from newspapers, magazines, ancient scripts, to important national historical archives. This collection is widely used by academics, students, artists, to the general public from Indonesia.

Several rare collections from Indonesia have even been recognized by UNESCO through the Memory of the World program, such as Hikayat Aceh, Panji Badminton, Babad Diponegoro, La Galigo, and Kartini's papers. This whole process involves active collaboration with the Indonesian National Library (PNRI) and the Indonesian National Archives (ANRI).

Modern technologies such as IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) and artificial intelligence (AI) have also been used to open wider access, including in reading the script. Leiden's library also opened an annual wingship program for Indonesian researchers, although participation from Indonesia is still minimal.

Fadli assessed that it is time for Indonesia to be more active in taking a role. He encouraged the development of the Indonesian Global Library as a center for access to one gate of Indonesia's digital collections spread across various countries. He also emphasized the importance of translating collection metadata into Indonesian languages so that they can be accessed more widely by the domestic public.

"We want this collaboration to be expanded, including in the exchange of expertise, research development, and human resource training," said Fadli.

During his visit, Fadli also saw a mini exhibition of Indonesian documentary collections in Leiden. The collection includes Babad Diponegoro, the initial painting of Prince Diponegoro, his arrest report by General De Kock (1830), and Malay letters for Sultan Sumenep.

The Minister of Culture specifically requested that a digital copy of this collection be sent to Indonesia immediately. He emphasized that this kind of cooperation is important not only for archival diplomacy, but also to restore the legacy of the nation's knowledge to its people.

This visit confirms the Ministry of Culture's commitment to strengthening international cooperation, encouraging the digitization of the manuscript, and reopening access to the legacy of Indonesian documentary which has been separated from the national public sphere.