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Column: Local creative industry must think global
Triawan Munaf - JP/DONWith a talent pool as deep as any other nationâs, itâs surprising Indonesian creative players have yet to take on the global stage
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Triawan Munaf - JP/DON
With a talent pool as deep as any other nation's, it's surprising Indonesian creative players have yet to take on the global stage. Last year, President Joko 'Jokowi'' Widodo established the Creative Economy Agency to foster the domestic creative economy and promote local talent. But has there been progress since? The Jakarta Post's Dylan Amirio spoke with Creative Economy Agency head Triawan Munaf to get his insight on how the creative economy can flourish and become a formidable player in the global creative world.
Question: What is the state of the creative economy in Indonesia?
Answer: I would say that the overall understanding toward the creative economy has not been fully developed yet. The Creative Economy Agency's job is to shape maximum understanding for stakeholders, the public and the government as well on what the creative economy is and what its potentials are.
We do not want to be seen as an institution that only preserves culture. I want to take it further than that.
How's progress going in the development of the agency?
We were only able to access government funding just recently, but aside from that everything has been going well. Hopefully next year it will be better. There are many programs that we can hold and join up without using government funding but if we spend a lot of government money and operate inefficiently, what's the point? That's why I want to also push for maximum efficiency. One way is trying to promote artists and creators without requiring public funds.
Then how do you plan to further the creative economy?
The agency will focus on activities that would definitely help Indonesian creators make bigger impacts.
For example, I want to showcase only Indonesia's top tier musicians, architects or others first and foremost to the international community. We must begin by displaying our best and finest: the creators who we think have the most potential to bring Indonesian talent to the world stage.
There are a lot of talented Indonesians who have the craft but have trouble marketing themselves, or they don't have access to funding to develop on a larger scale. That is what we are here for.
Nationalism seems to be on the rise among young artists, especially in the arts and design. More nationalistic themes are being adopted in games, artwork, music and film.
That's wonderful! Of course we should develop this market, because, hey, Indonesia is big! Plus, we have a significant amount of diaspora abroad to cater to as well.
But these creators have to remember that the content market is larger out there than it is here. Wouldn't it be nice, for example, to play a mobile game that is universally known and then find out that an Indonesian created it? That is what I mean by taking it to the next level.
It helps the creators think universally and globally: crafting works that are able to assimilate with global culture and achieve international relevance.
This lack of universality, is it the reason why our arts [especially in music and film] seem to have a tough time breaking through to the international market?
Yes, I agree. We have to have a more universal mindset in how we create and design our arts. We cannot afford to look inward or become too dismissive of the international community and adopt nationalism that is too intense.
What do you suggest Indonesian creatives do to better assimilate into the global community?
Keep on creating content that is universally relevant, to the point where even people in other countries are able to understand our creations. I mean, [Japanese mobile messaging app] LINE, for example, it has lots of content that caters to local audiences and cultures. It's the localization of creativity and that's fine and all. However, we also want our creations to be understood and used on a global scale, like how some of LINE's content resonates with those around the world.
There needs to be assimilation to outside trends and tastes in order for Indonesia's creative economy to really succeed.
Game or comic designers could create characters that are universally relevant and can transcend cultures. I'm not saying that we should abandon the use of Indonesian culture in their work, I'm saying that Indonesia's potential is massive and can be so much more. Don't just stop at conquering Indonesia, conquer the world too!
