Indonesia Has Potential to Become World Cultural Center: Minister

RRI.CO.ID, Surabaya - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said that Indonesia has the potential to become a world cultural center due to its cultural megadiversity.

"With more than 17,000 islands, around 1,340 ethnic groups, and hundreds of regional languages, Indonesia is known as a country with cultural megadiversity. This makes it a potential world cultural center and cultural superpower," Minister Fadli Zon said in a statement received in Surabaya, East Java on Sunday, February 22, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

At the forum, Minister Fadli Zon introduced the term "Out of Nusantara" to highlight Indonesia's pivotal role in human migration history.

"The Out of Africa theory is well-known. However, it is possible that the ancestors of Nusantara migrated to the Pacific, Australia, and even Africa," he said.

He explained that several findings indicate traces of prehistoric human life in the archipelago dating back 60,000 to 70,000 years, opening up new avenues for research into human migration flows.

He also highlighted the role of museums as showcases of civilization. He cited the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and several major museums in the United States as examples of cultural identity and public education centers.

"We hope that museums in Indonesia will become centers of education and showcase the nation's civilization," said Minister Fadli Zon. ***