Indonesia Seeks to Boost Cultural Diplomacy Through Nigerian Film Co-Production

The Indonesian government is encouraging cooperation between Indonesian and Nigerian films through co-production, knowledge exchange, and the involvement of filmmakers from both countries in international festivals. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon assessed that the Nigerian film industry, or Nollywood, can be a main door to expand Indonesian cultural diplomacy in Africa. "We can encourage co-production between filmmakers from both countries. It can also be by participating in various African film festivals so that the Indonesian and Nigerian film ecosystems can be more advanced," said Fadli when receiving the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria Bambang Suharto in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 22. According to Fadli, the cooperation can include exchanging knowledge about production, story development, to film making techniques. Nigeria has one of the largest film industries in Africa. The government sees the Nollywood ecosystem as being able to bring together the creative industries of both countries while opening up a wider market. Fadli said Indonesia and Nigeria have a number of similarities. Both are inhabited by many ethnic groups, use hundreds of languages, and have strong cultural diversity. "Nigeria and Indonesia have many similarities, both in terms of socio-economics and culture," he said. Therefore, cultural diplomacy is considered to be able to be used to build trust and strengthen relations between the two countries amid global geopolitical changes. Apart from the film sector, the Ministry of Culture also discussed the possibility of expanding cooperation through cultural festivals and the submission of an expansion of the nomination of batik cultural heritage with Nigeria. The plan will be linked to a number of Indonesian programs in Africa, including the 400th anniversary of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Makassari in Cape Town, South Africa. Bambang Suharto said the similarities in the character of the people and culture made Indonesia and Nigeria have the opportunity to become strategic partners in strengthening influence through culture. "This initiative can open up wider collaboration opportunities to strengthen the friendship between the two countries," he said. The Ministry of Culture will follow up on the discussion through joint festival exploration, collaboration of filmmakers, film co-production, and development of cultural heritage nominations.