Indonesia plans national music museum to preserve legacies

3 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Culture Minister Fadli Zon unveiled plans to establish the Indonesian Music Museum in Bandung, West Java, as part of efforts to document the nation’s musical history and preserve the legacies of prominent musicians.

“We at the Ministry of Culture are working on a proper museum for Indonesian music, a facility that can provide an overview of Indonesian music throughout its history,” he remarked in Jakarta on Wednesday (Aug. 5) night.

Zon announced the initiative during a tribute concert for singer-songwriter Is Haryanto, who is widely credited with creating the song Sepanjang Jalan Kenangan.

He pointed out that the museum is planned to occupy an abandoned building that formerly housed the now-defunct state-owned life insurance company Jiwasraya on Asia-Afrika Street.

“We have identified the building, which used to house Jiwasraya. The site is a long-abandoned cultural heritage property. Our intention is to make the most of it,” he stated.

The minister added that his ministry had received memorabilia from the families of several legendary musicians for display at the museum, including awards belonging to Titiek Puspa and collections of Idris Sardi.

He also highlighted ongoing discussions with musicians and composers to develop the museum’s concept, with an emphasis on digitalizing Indonesian songs.

“We have been in discussions with musicians and composers on ways to make the museum depict the contributions of those who created milestones in Indonesian music. We also aim to digitalize their works with respect to intellectual property rights,” Zon said.

Apart from the museum initiative, he said the Ministry of Culture continues to develop programs supporting the sustainability of Indonesian music, including Harmoni Zaman (Harmony of the Times), which honors musicians from different generations.

“We will work together to organize routine, sustainable, and continued activities,” he remarked.