KBRN, Semarang: Indonesia’s Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, officially inaugurated the Tosan Aji Temporary Exhibition at the Police Academy Museum (Museum Akpol) in Semarang on Friday (9/05/2025). The event was held alongside the Museum Governance Seminar, which aimed to strengthen collaboration and innovation in museum development across the country.

With the theme Strengthening Museum Governance: Preserving Heritage, Building Civilization, the seminar was a strategic platform for discussing the future of museums in Indonesia. Minister Fadli expressed appreciation for the initiative and emphasized that museums are not only cultural institutions, but also vital spaces for education and public engagement.

He stated that museums are public trust institutions that bear scientific, social, and ethical responsibilities. This view aligns with the definition adopted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in August 2022, which recognizes museums as evolving institutions that serve society.

Referencing the long history of global museums—from the Ashmolean in Oxford to the Bataviaasch Genootschap in Jakarta—Fadli said that museums are born from humanity’s need to understand identity, protect heritage, and pass on knowledge across generations.

He also underlined the rich cultural landscape of Indonesia, with over 1,340 ethnic groups and 718 local languages. Combined with its archaeological discoveries and ancient human fossils, Indonesia holds a central place in global civilization and human evolution studies.

Police Academy Governor, Inspector General Midi Siswoko Wau, noted that the opening of the exhibition and seminar marked an important step in maximizing the role of the academy’s museum. Beyond educating future police officers, the museum is expected to serve the wider public by offering historical insights related to the national police institution.

Minister Fadli highlighted that Indonesia has around 469 museums and that the Ministry of Culture has established a dedicated Directorate of History and Museums. This directorate is tasked with standardizing professional and accountable governance, revitalizing collections, improving infrastructure, and managing targeted cultural funding.

Despite these efforts, challenges remain. The Minister pointed to limited professional staff, uneven regional capacities, budget constraints, and low public participation as ongoing issues in museum governance.

To address these, he encouraged museums to increase inclusivity, adopt digital technology, and become engaging spaces for the younger generation. He gave the National Museum as an example, where recent improvements included education services, temporary exhibitions, and the use of AI and augmented reality in displays.

The seminar was attended by over 100 participants, including Police Academy leadership, officials from the Ministry of Culture, academics, and museum representatives. The presence of these stakeholders underscored the shared commitment to advancing museum quality nationwide.

Fadli concluded his remarks by urging museum leaders to build networks both domestically, through the Indonesian Museum Association, and internationally, with organizations like ICOM and INTERCOM. He also mentioned collaborative projects, such as shared curation and research at major cultural sites like Sangiran, Borobudur, and Muaro Jambi.

In closing, the Minister reminded participants that museums must remain agile in a disruptive era. “They must embrace innovation, strengthen professionalism, and build collaborative networks. Indonesian museums must become centers of knowledge, guardians of diversity, and agents of social transformation,” he said.

Source: Ministry of culture press release