Jakarta (ANTARA) – Culture Minister Fadli Zon has reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening literary ecosystem from upstream to downstream through talent development, stronger communities and festivals, translation, promotion, as well as expanded access to markets and international networks.
The commitment was conveyed when he attended the 2026 Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa (KSK) at Graha Utama, Ministry of Culture, here on Sunday.
The event marked the culmination of the 2026 KSK series after the winners were announced on August 23, 2026.
Based on a written statement received by ANTARA, the minister described the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa as one of the important milestones in the development of Indonesian literature.
“Awards such as this are very important because they are part of the appreciation for the emergence of new talents and new writers. After all, literature is a very important form of artistic expression that shares human experiences, personal experiences and emotions, while also capturing the spirit of an era,” he said.
The minister said literature is one of the objects of cultural advancement and is included among the five fields covered by the National Talent Management program.
“On that basis, the Ministry of Culture is developing an ecosystem approach from upstream to downstream, starting from creation and talent regeneration, strengthening communities and festivals, translation, promotion, and copyright management, to expanding access to markets and international networks,” he said.
The minister expressed hope that the Indonesian literary ecosystem, including writers, literary communities, festivals, publishers, and the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation, would collaborate to support the success of programs that have been designed and implemented.
“We hope that in the future, more literary practitioners will be involved in supporting and contributing to the advancement of literature in Indonesia,” he said.
Chairperson of the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation Pratiwi Juliani said literary awards were not merely a means of selecting the best works, but also an effort to document the development of literature at a particular point in time.
“Good literature does not always provide answers. Often, it instead prompts us to ask questions that can go beyond the work itself,” Juliani said.
The Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa is a literary award that originated as the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2001. It was initiated by Richard Oh and Takeshi Ichiki and adopted the name Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa in 2014.
The award was revived in 2025 by the Richard Oh Kusala Indonesia Foundation to continue supporting the development of Indonesia’s literature.
The 2026 KSK was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Astra, and Falcon Pictures.
Three books were named winners of the 2026 KSK: “Ikhtiar yang Tak Benar-Benar” by Nukila Amal, “Hantu Ulang-alik” by Ratri Ninditya, and “Nusantara, Amnesia” by Ari Pahala Hutabarat.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Katriana
Editor: Primayanti
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