Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, officially launched two major initiatives on Thursday, the Literary Translation Lab and the Literary Promotion Lab, aimed at bringing Indonesian literature to the global stage.
The announcement was made during a public forum themed “Sastra Mendunia: Peran Penerjemah dan Promotor dalam Internasionalisasi Sastra Indonesia” (“Literature Without Borders: The Role of Translators and Promoters in Globalizing Indonesian Literature”), hosted in Jakarta. The initiative forms part of a broader national strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s literary ecosystem and foster international recognition of local literary voices.
“Literature and publishing are powerful tools of cultural diplomacy,” said Minister Zon. “Indonesia’s literary and publishing industries hold enormous potential to reach global audiences, but stronger bridges must be built between our local ecosystem and the global literary scene.”
The Translation and Promotion Labs aim to empower emerging translators, literary agents, editors, and book advocates with the skills and networks needed to promote Indonesian literature internationally. The program includes intensive training sessions led by both Indonesian and international experts.
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Fadli Zon also emphasized the broader cultural significance of literature, pointing to its influence in other art forms such as film. He noted that several acclaimed Indonesian films, like Jalan Tak Ada Ujung and Hujan Bulan Juni, originated from literary works by authors like Mochtar Lubis and Sapardi Djoko Damono.
The event drew participation from key officials of the Ministry of Culture, including Endah T.D. Retnoastuti (Director General for Cultural Diplomacy), Irini Dewi Wanti (Director of Cultural Institutions Development), and Andi Syamsu Rijal (Director of Digital Culture). Anissa Rengganis, Special Advisor on Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations, is overseeing the overall coordination of the programs.
The discussion also featured prominent writers, translators, and agents, such as award-winning author Eka Kurniawan, translators Lara Norgaard, Dalih Sembiring, and Dhianita Kusuma Pertiwi, as well as literary agents Jérôme Bouchaud and Yani Kurniawan.
These two labs are part of a wider initiative called “Literary Ecosystem Strengthening”, which includes five additional programs: National Literary Talent Development, Community-Based Literary Empowerment, Support for Literary Festivals, Literary Translation Acceleration, and Intellectual Property Development for Literature.
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The Literary Translation Lab addresses the urgent need for highly skilled translators who can faithfully and artfully convey Indonesian literature to international readers. Meanwhile, the Literary Promotion Lab is designed to train agents in rights negotiation, international marketing, pitching, and copyright management.
Applications are open from May 26 to June 15, 2025 (for translators) and May 26 to June 16, 2025 (for promoters), with classes beginning in July 2025 and running through September 2025 in both online and offline formats.
Further information can be found via the Ministry of Culture’s official Instagram accounts: @pusbangfilm and @kemenkebud.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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