Indonesian Minister of Culture Inaugurates Borobudur Cultural Center
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Fadli Zon officially inaugurated the Borobudur Cultural Center (BCC) in the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park complex, Magelang, Central Java, Thursday (29/5/2025). This inauguration is part of a series of state visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron to Borobudur Temple.
The inauguration of the Borobudur Cultural Center (BCC), which was also attended by French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, aims to make the location a center for cultural activities, education, spirituality, and international collaboration.
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Fadli Zon hopes that various positive programs will involve close cooperation with various partners, both from within and outside the country. The Minister of Culture said that BCC will be an important node in cultural exchange, a center for education, spirituality, and cross-national cooperation.
"Various future agendas will involve close collaboration between national and international partners," he explained.
On the same occasion, the Indonesian government held an exhibition themed “Borobudur: Symphony of Civilization” which displays collections and cultural narratives based on reliefs in Borobudur Temple. The exhibition is divided into two main parts, namely “Sound of Borobudur” and “Power and Spirituality: Traditional Weapons of the Archipelago in Borobudur Reliefs.” The second part displays 50 weapons and heirlooms depicted in the reliefs.
For “Sound of Borobudur,” the exhibition features around 40 musical instruments that are the result of reconstructions from more than 200 Borobudur relief panels. The exhibition is organized by the Padma Sada Svargantara Foundation and involves collaborations from artists such as Purwa Tjaraka, Trie Utami, and Dewa Budjana.
The musical instruments come from various regions in Indonesia and depict the richness of the cosmopolitan culture of 8th century Ancient Java. Meanwhile, the second part, “Strength and Spirituality: Traditional Weapons of the Archipelago in the Borobudur Reliefs” showcases the richness of Indonesia through a collection of 50 weapons and heirlooms taken from communities in Madura, Madiun, Karanganyar, as well as the private collections of Fadli Zon Library and Padepokan Brojobuwono.
In addition, six Buddhist ritual objects made of bronze and stone, two Buddha heads, and one Akshobhya Buddha statue from Borobudur are also exhibited.
The exhibition also features artifacts from the Musi River, Palembang, which illustrate the continuity of culture since the construction of Borobudur.
Overall, the total collection on display amounts to 108 objects, complete with research manuscripts, historical documentation of restoration, and archaeological evidence that depicts Borobudur as a limitless library.
"This exhibition shows that Borobudur is a center of cultural cosmopolitanism that has been present since the 8th century. We want to revive the spirit of cultural interconnection reflected in the reliefs of this temple," said Minister Fadli Zon.
The inauguration of the BCC and the opening of this exhibition are part of a series of events for the Indonesia–France Cultural Dialogue held at the Manohara Borobudur complex with the theme “Celebrating Diversity, Building Bridges.”
This forum brings together the Ministries of Culture of the two countries with Indonesian cultural actors and artists, while also marking a concrete step in Indonesian cultural diplomacy based on collaboration across generations and civilizations.
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