Fadli Zon Encourage Cultural Industrialization, Economic Value Must Return to Cultural Actors

Fadli Zon mendorong percepatan hilirisasi kebudayaan agar nilai ekonomi dari warisan budaya Indonesia tidak berhenti di tengah rantai industri. (IST)

JAKARTA - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon encourages the acceleration of cultural downstreaming so that the economic value of Indonesian cultural heritage does not stop in the middle of the industrial chain, but is enjoyed again by cultural actors, artists, artisans, indigenous communities, and their regions. origin.

The message was conveyed by Fadli when he was a speaker at the National Sarasehan of the Science, Technology, and Industry (KSTI) Convention 2026 with the theme Culture and People's Economy: Foundation for National Economic Independence at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Sunday (28/6).

According to Fadli, so far culture is still often seen as a complement to development. In fact, culture has economic value that can be a source of national growth.

"Culture is the capital and infrastructure of civilization. Culture shapes the way nations produce, adapt, innovate, and build solidarity. Therefore, culture must be part of the strategy for economic independence," he said.

He said Indonesia has a very large cultural capital, ranging from around 1,340 ethnic groups, 718 regional languages, thousands of intangible cultural heritages, to various world heritage sites. These potentials are considered to have not been fully processed into economic power that benefits the community.

Therefore, the Ministry of Culture will strengthen the downstreaming of culture through the protection of copyright and communal intellectual property, strengthening national cultural data, expanding access to financing and markets for cultural actors, and encouraging universities to become centers of research and innovation in the cultural industry.

Fadli emphasized that economic independence is not only determined by fiscal, monetary, or trade policies. According to him, the ability of the nation to manage knowledge, creativity, and cultural identity is also an important factor.

"Economic independence must grow from its own strength, be in the people's favor, and be rooted in Indonesian culture," he said.

The KSTI 2026 Sarasehan is a forum that brings together academics, researchers, government, and the industrial world to formulate strategies to strengthen economic independence based on science, technology, and culture.