Ministry Strengthens Kawi Script Preservation Through National Collaboration

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Culture is strengthening efforts to preserve the Kawi script through collaboration among the government, communities, academics, and other stakeholders. The commitment was reaffirmed as Minister of Culture Fadli Zon received La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti and members of the Kawi script community from the Satria Lelaku Nusantara Foundation at the Ministry's office in Jakarta.

According to a press release received by RRI Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta on July 2, 2026, the meeting discussed strategic measures to strengthen the preservation of the Kawi script, including the development of the Kawi Script Portal as a digital collaborative platform. The portal is expected to connect various communities while expanding Kawi script preservation efforts in the digital era.

La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti, Patron of the Satria Lelaku Nusantara Foundation, said the portal would serve as a shared platform for everyone involved in preserving the Kawi script. "We will establish the Kawi Script Portal as a common platform to bring communities together, expand collaboration, and strengthen efforts to preserve the Kawi script," he said.

Rachmad Setiawan, Editor-in-Chief of the Kawi Script Portal, explained that the platform is designed to serve as an information hub and a collaborative network connecting communities, academics, government institutions, and the cultural industry. He added that the portal is also expected to support Kawi script-based micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), strengthen manuscript studies, and help develop a new generation of Kawi script practitioners.

Responding to the initiative, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon expressed appreciation for the community's efforts to preserve the Kawi script. "We appreciate every initiative that advances culture, especially those related to language and scripts as part of Indonesia's Objects of Cultural Advancement," Fadli said.

Fadli also said that the Ministry of Culture is currently pursuing the nomination of the Kawi script for UNESCO recognition. According to him, the Kawi script could be submitted through a joint nomination because evidence of its historical use has also been found in the Philippines, southern Thailand, and southern Cambodia, while the Urgent Safeguarding mechanism could serve as another possible pathway.

In addition, the Ministry has proposed compiling an encyclopedia of the archipelago's scripts to strengthen the documentation and promotion of Indonesia's diverse writing systems. The government also supports plans to hold the Kawi Script Congress in 2027 as a collaborative forum to further strengthen the preservation and development of the Kawi script.