Indonesia Ties Cultural Cooperation with New Zealand

Nusa Dua - On the sidelines of the World Culture Forum 2016 agenda, the Indonesian government through the Education and Culture Ministry on Wednesday, 12 October 2016, signed an agreement with Auckland University of Technology (AUT), regarding a three-week-professional-training program for 50 Indonesian artists and five assistants (facilitators and media) in New Zealand. The program that will be fully funded by the Education and Culture Ministry is aimed to improve and strengthen Indonesian artists’ competence in their respective fields.

The artists to participate in this program come from various fields of art including dance, music, theater, cinema, gallery and museum, visual and history. The 50 eligible artists qualified for the program participation have completed an open selection process announced in Directorate General of Culture’s website. This program is designed to create qualified human resources in the field of culture who are capable of serving as agents of change in the society where they live.

Through this program, the artists are expected to foster their sense of belonging and identity to Indonesian culture to become eligible future leaders in their respective fields. The program will be held on 13 November to 4 December 2016. Before departure, they will be given a briefing on the substance to be exchanged with their New Zealand counterparts. This briefing will be addressed by the Directorate General of Culture and AUT in a Pre-departure Orientation Program on 10—12 November 2016,to equip participating artists with the understanding and readiness to follow the training responsibly.

The training will be organized by AUT as Education and Culture Ministry’s partner in the agreement. This agreement is also part of the efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand, especially in the field of culture. (WCF2016)