Dear Indonesia, We Should Be Exporting Culture Not Talent
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world; larger than Brazil, Russia, and Japan. It’s big in culture. Not the museum-type culture that gathers dust behind glass, but the kind that lives in street stalls, in textiles passed down through generations, in the rhythm of traditional instruments played beside Bluetooth speakers. Indonesia’s culture is active, modern, and deeply rooted, and yet, it barely registers in the global cultural conversation.
Outside of Southeast Asia, Indonesia is often mistaken for a resort island. Mention the country, and the responses tend to hover around “Bali,” perhaps followed by a vague recollection of rice terraces or yoga retreats. The rest might as well be blank space.
This isn’t because Indonesia lacks exportable culture. It’s because it hasn’t exported it with intention. Unlike Korea, Japan, or Thailand, there’s been no coordinated national strategy to put Indonesian culture on the global map. In a world where narrative, aesthetics, and identity are traded like currency, the absence of Indonesia’s voice is a missed economic and diplomatic opportunity just waiting to be claimed.
The Power of Culture: More Than Just Aesthetic Value
Culture is often treated as something to celebrate on national holidays or promote in tourism ads. But the countries that have understood its true value treat it differently. For them, culture is infrastructure. It's not just about showcasing tradition; it's about using culture for diplomacy, for economic growth, and for shaping global narratives.
When a country exports its culture, it generates revenue, builds loyalty, and invites people into its story. South Korea's K-pop industry alone is worth billions and has helped turn Seoul into a global cultural capital. Thai cuisine drives demand for Thai ingredients, boosts agricultural exports, and lures tourists. Culture becomes a multiplier.
Cultural export also influences perception. The U.S. didn’t just export films, it exported the idea of America. South Korea didn't just globalize pop music, it redefined its national brand. Culture has the ability to soften borders and forge emotional connection in ways policy can’t.
And there’s an internal benefit too: when a culture is recognized globally, its people feel seen. Diaspora communities feel empowered. A young Indonesian abroad is more likely to celebrate their heritage if the world already understands (and values) that identity.
Indonesia is already rich in culture. The recipes, the crafts, the music, and the stories all there. What’s missing is the infrastructure to connect these elements into an export strategy. With intention, coordination, and support, Indonesia could be culturally powerful.
What Others Have Done Right: Lessons From the Region and Beyond
When we talk about cultural exports, it's tempting to think of them as the natural result of something being "just really good." But in reality, the countries that have successfully exported their culture invested in strategy, structure, and sustained national effort. The results speak for themselves.
South Korea: The Blueprint for Cultural Strategy
South Korea’s rise from post-war recovery to global cultural powerhouse is one of the most well-executed examples of soft power in modern history. The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, started with policymakers. In the early 2000s, the South Korean government saw the potential of culture as an export and made deliberate investments: grants for film production, overseas cultural centers, and education reforms to nurture creative industries.
Perhaps most importantly, Korea understood distribution. Strategic partnerships with global platforms like Netflix and Spotify helped ensure K-content was seen. Today, K-pop, Korean dramas, skincare, food, and design are part of the global mainstream. And with it, Korea has elevated its influence, image, and economy.
Thailand: The Quiet Giant of Culinary Diplomacy
Thailand took a more targeted, culinary-first approach. In 2002, the Thai government launched the Global Thai Program, recognizing that cuisine could be a powerful ambassador. The program supported Thai restaurants abroad, trained chefs, standardized recipes, and even provided government-backed branding. The result? Thai food is now ubiquitous across the world, driving not only tourism but also demand for Thai agricultural products and food brands. What started as a soft power move has become an economic engine.
Japan: Precision, Identity, and Cultural Depth
Japan’s approach has been more understated but no less effective. Through Cool Japan, the government supported the export of pop culture, design, and tradition with a focus on craft and quality. Anime, manga, sushi, and minimalism all represent Japan’s identity. They're exported with care and consistency and the result is a cultural brand synonymous with excellence, creativity, and depth.
Each of these countries shows a different path to the same outcome: culture, when invested in strategically, becomes influence.
Where Indonesia Stands (And Why That’s a Problem)
Indonesia has everything it needs to be a cultural powerhouse, except the machinery to turn its assets into exports. The richness is already there. What’s missing is the system to support and scale it.
Start with food. Indonesian cuisine is diverse, flavorful, and unlike anything else in the region. Dishes like rendang, sate, and gado-gado offer complexity and comfort in equal measure. Tempeh, an indigenous innovation, is now a staple of global plant-based diets. Sambal, with its hundreds of regional variations, could easily sit on supermarket shelves alongside Sriracha or gochujang. But in most global cities, you’d be lucky to find a single Indonesian restaurant, and even then, probably one run by a homesick expat cooking for a loyal but limited community.
It’s not just food. Indonesia has centuries of craft, music, textiles, and storytelling. Batik is a UNESCO-recognized textile tradition, but it's still largely confined to special occasions and souvenir shops, not global fashion runways. The same goes for traditional dance, gamelan, and wayang; all rich with narrative, but rarely positioned for modern global audiences.
The root issue is lack of coordination. Indonesia doesn’t yet have a clear strategy for cultural export. There’s no national narrative beyond Bali, no flagship cultural products being championed internationally, and no institutional support to help creative industries scale. Where Korea has K-pop and Thailand has pad Thai, Indonesia is still deciding what to lead with.
Until there’s a coordinated effort to identify, package, and promote its cultural assets, Indonesia will continue to be underrepresented globally; not because it lacks value, but because it hasn’t yet claimed its seat at the table.
What Indonesia Could Do: From Passive to Strategic
If Indonesia is serious about stepping into its cultural potential, it needs to move from passive presence to active strategy. Culture doesn’t export itself, at least, not at scale. It needs structure, investment, and a story that people can follow, buy into, and share. The good news? The blueprint already exists. The better news? Indonesia has all the raw material. What’s needed now is coordinated action.
1. Create a National Cultural Export Body
This needs to go beyond a tourism board or a ministry sub-department. A dedicated agency focused solely on cultural exports, with a mandate to develop policy, fund initiatives, and set measurable goals, would create the foundation. Food, fashion, music, design, and storytelling should be treated as strategic industries, with long-term infrastructure and clear KPIs, not side projects.
2. Identify and Amplify Flagship Cultural Exports
Indonesia doesn't need to showcase everything at once. Focus is key. Select 3–5 cultural assets that can act as global entry points. Rendang and sambal are crowd-pleasers. Batik has fashion potential. Indonesian music is ripe for discovery. These assets need coordinated branding, ambassador programs, export-ready packaging, and targeted placement in global cultural hubs.
3. Partner with the Diaspora
There’s already an informal cultural network in place; Indonesians living and working abroad, often in creative and service sectors. They are the first, and often only, touchpoint between global audiences and Indonesian culture. With proper support (think: grants, visibility platforms, collaboration hubs) they could become one of Indonesia’s strongest soft power tools.
4. Leverage Digital Platforms
Indonesia is a digital-first society. Social media is distribution. With national support, creators could scale their reach: from cooking shows on YouTube to curated Spotify playlists, to TikTok explainers on batik or Bahasa slang.
5. Collaborate with Global Platforms
Strategic partnerships with global content and commerce platforms, like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon , Airbnb Experiences, could amplify Indonesian culture at scale. A Netflix drama shot in Sulawesi or a global street food series featuring Indonesian chefs could spark mass interest, fast. This is where visibility meets velocity.
In a world where attention is currency and perception drives influence, culture is one of the most effective tools a nation can wield. It fosters affinity, shapes identity, and creates long-term value far beyond immediate economic returns. For Indonesia, a nation of immense cultural depth and diversity, continuing to underplay this strength is a strategic oversight.
Other countries have proven the power of cultural exports. Korea’s entertainment industry has transformed its global image and economy. Thailand’s food is now a familiar and beloved part of urban dining across continents. Japan has exported a cultural identity synonymous with quality, refinement, and creativity. These all happened by design.
Indonesia doesn’t need to compete by imitation. It needs to lead with what it already has: distinctive food, design, stories, and traditions that are globally relevant and deeply authentic. But without intentional backing, these cultural assets remain local treasures with limited reach.
The question is no longer can Indonesia export its culture; it’s when it will choose to. Cultural exports are essential. And for Indonesia, they’re long overdue.