Jakarta
Indonesia’s philanthropists are calling on their peers and businesspeople to support the arts financially, saying the pandemic – despite its adverse effects – presents a golden opportunity to develop the creative sector. Indonesia Philanthropy Association (PFI) cochair Erna Witoelar said the COVID-19 pandemic provided a much-needed opportunity to develop the creative sector because cash-strapped artists were looking for creative ways to entertain a growing pool of frustrated people cooped up at home. “Now is the time for my fellow philanthropists and businesspeople to support the arts. Cultivating art means you are advancing society,” Erna said in a webinar this week. Funding the arts during a pandemic that has stripped the incomes of workers in a number of sectors is not easy, but some philanthropists think it is neces...