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THE INDONESIAN Ministry of Culture and the French Embassy in Indonesia are committed to strengthening cultural cooperation, particularly in the fields of literature and literacy.
According to Anissa Rengganis, Special Staff to the Minister of Culture for Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations, stated in an official statement confirmed from Jakarta on Saturday that this collaboration will bring together two major programs from each country.
“We will ‘marry’ two major programs: the Choix Goncourt Indonésie program from the French Government with the Read Indonesia program and the National Talent Management in the Field of Literature from the Indonesian Government. The presence of the French delegation at MIWF this year is a crucial first step in implementing this collaboration,” said Rengganis.
She made this statement at the “Connection Night” event, a collaboration between the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and the French Embassy in Indonesia, held in Makassar.
Rengganis added that Connection Night is not just a celebration, but a starting point for building real collaboration between the two cultural ecosystems.
“We hope this activity will foster concrete collaborations, ranging from cultural exchanges, book translations, writer residencies, and future festival collaborations,” he added.
Indonesia and France are committed to strengthening cultural cooperation through three strategic agendas going forward, including Indonesia’s participation in the 2027 Le Festival du Livre de Paris with a delegation of Indonesian writers and publishers; France’s involvement in the 2026 and 2027 Indonesia International Book Fairs; and the development of a translation subsidy scheme for French and other international publishers to support the translation and publication of Indonesian literary works into various world languages.
These efforts are expected to expand access to Indonesian literary works globally while simultaneously strengthening cultural relations between Indonesia and France in a sustainable manner.
The Connection Night Makassar International Writers Festival 2026 demonstrates that cultural diplomacy can go hand in hand with political diplomacy, using literature, art, and human networks as bridges.
Through this collaboration, the Ministry of Culture affirms its commitment to strengthening Indonesian cultural diplomacy, expanding access to Indonesian literary works globally, and strengthening cultural relations between Indonesia and France in a sustainable manner. [antaranews]
