Indonesia Strengthens Literary Ecosystem from Creation to Global Markets

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has reaffirmed the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to strengthening the country’s literary ecosystem from creation to distribution, including talent development, community and festival support, translation, promotion, and expanded access to markets and international networks. He made the statement while attending the 2026 Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa (KSK) literary awards ceremony at the Graha Utama building of the Ministry of Culture in Jakarta on Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Fadli Zon said the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa is an important milestone in the development of Indonesian literature, as literary awards not only recognize writers and literary works but also encourage the emergence of new talent. He said literature is an important form of artistic expression that captures human experiences, emotions, and the changing times.

“Such awards are very important because they are part of recognizing the emergence of new talents and new writers. Literature is an important artistic expression that shares human experiences, personal experiences, and emotions, while also capturing the spirit of the times,” Fadli Zon said.

He explained that literature is one of the objects of cultural advancement and is included among the five fields covered by Indonesia’s National Talent Management program. “Based on this, the Ministry of Culture is developing an ecosystem approach from upstream to downstream, starting from creation and talent regeneration, strengthening communities and festivals, translation, promotion, and copyright management, to expanding access to markets and international networks,” he said.

Fadli Zon also encouraged writers, literary communities, festivals, publishers, and the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation to collaborate with the government in advancing literary programs. “We hope that in the future, more literary practitioners will be involved in supporting and contributing to the advancement of literature in Indonesia,” he said.

He added that collaboration, synergy, and mutual cooperation among stakeholders are important to strengthen the role of Indonesian literature in global literary conversations. The Ministry of Culture expects stronger cooperation across the literary ecosystem to create greater opportunities for Indonesian works and writers to develop and reach international audiences.

Chairwoman of the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation, Pratiwi Juliani, said literary awards are not merely a way to select the best works, but also a means of documenting the development of literature at a particular time. She said literature can record works, voices, issues, and how writers respond to changes in the world, noting that “good literature does not always provide answers” and often encourages questions that go beyond the work itself.

The Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa originated as the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2001, initiated by Richard Oh and Takeshi Ichiki, and adopted its current name in 2014. After a period of suspension, the award was revived in 2025 by the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation, and the 2026 edition named three winning books: Ikhtiar yang Tak Benar-Benar by Nukila Amal in the Novel category, Hantu Ulang-alik by Ratri Ninditya in the Short Story Collection category, and Nusantara, Amnesia by Ari Pahala Hutabarat in the Poetry Collection category.