Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The 2025 National Heritage Exhibition (Pameran Nasional Pusaka Nusantara) has officially opened at Sri Baduga Museum in Bandung, West Java. The exhibition, organized by the West Java Provincial Department of Tourism and Culture through its Cultural Management Unit, will run from July 29 to October 31.
Indonesia’s Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, officiated the opening ceremony and praised the exhibition as an essential initiative to raise awareness and deepen understanding of Indonesia’s ancestral heritage from across the archipelago.
“This exhibition is crucial in educating the public about the richness of Nusantara’s heirlooms. It also represents a strategic effort to promote and revitalize museums in Indonesia,” Fadli said on Tuesday (July 29).
The exhibition features 238 heritage artifacts from 21 provincial museums, four municipal/regency museums, and one university collection. West Java alone contributed 64 items, including traditional weapons such as kujang, keris, kudi, and swords.
In a personal gesture, Minister Fadli Zon also contributed four heirlooms from his private collection for public display: two kujang (the Kujang Naga and Kujang Cangak), as well as two keris (a 15th-century Keris Sepuh and a Bugis keris).
During his remarks, Fadli announced that the Ministry of Culture is pushing for national’s museum development. One of the initiative is by developing a classification system for museums, categorizing them into A, B, and C tiers, similar to an academic grading system.
“In the future, we aim to strengthen public-private partnerships so that the development of museums doesn’t rely solely on government support,” he said.
Fadli also emphasized the importance of proper collection management. At the National Museum, over 194,000 artifacts are currently being re-inventoried and reappraised. He urged regional museums to follow suit.
“Many of these collections are extraordinary, yet their data hasn’t been updated. We need to understand the value of these items, Not for sale, but as a form of national appreciation and recognition,” he added.
To improve museum standards, the Ministry also plans to launch a “Best Museum Award,” with assessment criteria including the quality of collections, narrative coherence, exhibition layout, management, and use of technology.
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Also present at the opening was West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan. He expressed hopes that the exhibition would boost museum attendance.
“Museums serve a vital role in preserving, utilizing, and advancing cultural heritage. Through this event, we hope Sri Baduga Museum can communicate and educate the public more effectively about Indonesia’s cultural legacy,” Erwan said.
Alongside the main exhibition, visitors will be able to join seminars, workshops, and a local SME bazaar throughout the three-month event period.
In addition to the Heritage Exhibition, Indonesia is also hosting two other national showcases this year: the Traditional Textiles of the Archipelago Exhibition and the Traditional Musical Instruments of the Archipelago Exhibition.
Looking ahead, the government aims to expand such cultural events beyond textiles, heirlooms, and musical instruments to include traditional foods, games, masks, royal regalia, and regional jewelry.
(Raidi/Agung)
