Indonesia, France Expand Literary Ties at MIWF 2026

RRI.CO.ID, Makassar - Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture and the French Embassy in Indonesia held a Connection Night event on the sidelines of the Makassar International Writers Festival (MIWF) 2026 in Makassar on Friday, May 15, 2026. Based on the press release received by RRI VOI, Sunday, May 17, 2026, the event marked a concrete follow-up to the bilateral meeting between Indonesia’s Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, and French Minister of Culture, Catherine Pégard in Paris on April 22, 2026.

The meeting reflected both countries’ commitment to boosting cultural cooperation, particularly in literature and literacy. Through Connection Night, the Ministry of Culture created a networking platform for writers, artists, publishers, festival organizers, and cultural stakeholders from Indonesia and France.

Special Staff for Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations of the Minister of Culture, Anissa Rengganis, said the collaboration would connect two major cultural programs from both countries. According to her, the partnership combines France’s Choix Goncourt Indonésie program with Indonesia’s Read Indonesia initiative and the National Talent Management program in literature.

“We will connect two major programs, namely the Choix Goncourt Indonésie program from the French Government and Indonesia’s Read Indonesia and National Talent Management programs in literature,” Anissa said. She added that the presence of the French delegation at MIWF 2026 represented a crucial first step in implementing the bilateral cultural partnership.

Anissa also conveyed that Connection Night was not merely a celebration, but an initial platform for building tangible collaboration between the two cultural ecosystems. “We hope this event will create concrete collaborations, ranging from cultural exchanges and book translations to writers’ residencies and future festival partnerships,” she added.

Indonesia and France have agreed to strengthen cultural cooperation through three strategic agendas in the coming years. These include Indonesia’s participation in the Le Festival du Livre de Paris 2027, France’s involvement in the Indonesia International Book Fair in 2026 and 2027, and the development of translation subsidy schemes for French and international publishers to support Indonesian literary works in global markets.

The initiative is expected to expand international access to Indonesian literature while reinforcing long-term cultural relations between the two countries. Connection Night was attended by several prominent figures, including French Ambassador to Indonesia Fabien Penone, Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin, and President of Académie Goncourt Philippe Claudel.

The event was also attended by filmmaker Riri Riza, Director of Institut Français Indonésie, Jules Irrmann, and Secretary General of Éditions, Gallimard Karina Hocine. Through the collaboration, Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture reaffirmed its commitment to advancing cultural diplomacy and promoting Indonesian literature on the global stage through literature, arts, and people-to-people connections.