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Jakarta makes bid for UNESCO titles in literature
Jakarta is seeking international accolades to brand itself as a city with deep appreciation for literature and the publishing world, but readers and publishers have suggested administrators get a reality check.
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Piles of books are seen at the center for cheap books that are new, old or rare at Blok M Square, South Jakarta. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
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akarta is seeking international accolades to brand itself as a city with a deep appreciation for literature and the publishing world, but readers and publishers alike have suggested that administrators go get a reality check.
The city aims to become UNESCO's World Book Capital and City of Literature, two prestigious titles that celebrate cities with an extraordinary dedication to publishing and literature, respectively.
“Over the past few years, Jakarta has championed improving citizens’ literacy levels as one of our main programs. We also provide books in many locations in public places to be read on-site,” Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said in a recent press statement.
“Jakarta is ready for the two [titles].”
The capital city is the seat of nearly one-fifth of all of Indonesia’s publishing houses and has registered close to 15,000 unique book title identifiers under the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system.
The city also hosts a number of literary festivals such as the Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF), the Jakarta International Literary Festival (JILF) and Jakarta Content Week (Jaktent).
The Jakarta Book City Committee, which Anies formed in 2019, submitted the World Book Capital proposal to UNESCO last month and is working to send in the City of Literature proposal before the deadline in July.
