Fadli Zon Inaugurates The King's Trace Festival: Celebrating Culture, Nature, And National Identity In Raja Ampat

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon received a flower necklace at the opening ceremony of the 2025 King's Trace Festival. (IST)

RAJA AMPAT Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, officially opened the 2025 King's Trace Festival at Waisai Torang Cinta Beach (WTC), Raja Ampat. The opening was marked by a drum recovery which was warmly welcomed by the public and the beat of traditional Papuan music.

The festival which lasted for two days, on August 28 and 29, 2025, was a cultural celebration that not only displayed the richness of tradition and customs, but also became a space to strengthen identity and respect for ancestral heritage. The main purpose of this activity is to promote culture and tourism, preserve the environment, empower local communities, and increase cultural awareness among the younger generation.

Fadli Zon in his speech explained that Raja Ampat Regency, with nearly 3,000 islands out of a total of more than 17,000 islands in Indonesia, has extraordinary natural and cultural wealth. Besides being known as a maritime paradise with a blue sea and a group of corals that captivate the world, Raja Ampat also stores the highest marine biodiversity in the world: more than 553 coral species and 1,500 types of fish. Its natural beauty is complemented by panorama karst, white sandy beaches, as well as tropical forests that become the habitat of endemic birds, such as Cendrawasih Merah and Wilson.

Not only nature, Raja Ampat is also rich in cultural expressions: ranging from traditional royal systems, traditional conservation laws, Wor dance, Suling Tambur music, traditional games and sports, local food, to prehistoric rock paintings in Misool and Kabui. The rock painting is even proof of a long early civilization in Southwest Papua. In 2023, Raja Ampat was officially designated as UNESCO Global Geopark, affirming the important value of this area for the world, both from geological, ecological, and cultural aspects," explained Menbud Fadli.

The Minister of Culture also appreciated the performance of the Gale-Gale colossal dance which described the atmosphere of cheerfulness, full of brotherhood, and full of meaning. "Hopefully the Gale-Gale dance can be increasingly known not only in Raja Ampat, but also throughout Indonesia, even in the world. We hope that this dance can be recognized as Indonesia's Intangible Cultural Heritage," he said. He added, in the era of social media, many Indonesian cultural expressions are now viral and even followed by the international community.

In his remarks, Fadli Zon also emphasized the importance of culture as the foundation of the nation's identity. Until now, more than 2,213 Takbent Cultural Heritage have been recorded, and the number continues to grow every year. Culture is not just a storefront, but a national asset that can develop into a cultural and creative industry a new economic growth machine that is currently being discussed in APEC international forums through a meeting in the field of CCI (Culture and Creative Industry).

This event was attended by various important figures, including the Deputy Governor of Southwest Papua, Ahmad Nausrau; Deputy Regent of Raja Ampat Regency, Mansyur Syahdan; FORKOPIMDA West Papua, Head of the Southwest Papua Tourism Office, Chairperson of Dharma Wanita and Mrs. Bhayangkari Raja Ampat, ranks of OPD Raja Ampat, BUMD, traditional leaders, religious leaders, to female figures.

Meanwhile, from the Ministry of Culture, the Director General of Cultural and Traditional Protection, Restu Gunawan; Special Staff to the Minister for Protocol and Household Affairs, Rachmanda Primayudha; and Head of the XXIII Region Cultural Preservation Center, Rinawati Idrus.

In addition to displaying art and culture, this festival is also enlivened by food exhibition booths and cheap food movements organized by the Food Security and Agriculture Office of Raja Ampat Regency. The presence of this stand is a tangible form of cultural synergy and community welfare.

At the end of his remarks, Menbud Fadli Zon said that with the support of all parties, the Traces of the King of the Raja Ampat Festival 2025 are expected to be an important momentum to strengthen national culture, echo Raja Ampat tourism, and make culture the motor of Indonesia's creative economy in the eyes of the world.

"Let's make the King's Trace Festival not just a spectacle, but also guidance. A source of value, brotherhood, as well as sustainable development," he concluded.