Yogyakarta, 25 November 2022 - Jogja Festivals Forum & Expo (JFFE) 2022  which took place at Pendopo Royal Ambarrukmo has started its first day of events on Thursday (24/11). In the afternoon, JFFE 2022 is filled with a talkshow program with stakeholders who can assist in the process of festival execution. The talkshow aims to allow festivals to receive direct direction from stakeholders who are ready to support the implementation of festivals, whether on a regional, national, or international scale.

The JFFE 2022 talk show carries the theme "Festival Funding and Policy" with three expert speakers namely Drs. Fitra Arda, M.Hum., as Secretary of the General Directorate  of Culture, Ministry of Education Culture Research and Technology, Camellia Harahap as Head of Arts British Council Indonesia, Charlotte Esnou as Cultural Attachée from Institut Français Indonesia, and R. Wahyu Wijanarko as Head of Credit Division of BPD of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The talk show was also moderated by Aan Fikriyan who managed the discussion that took place during the program.

"Regarding the sustainability of our festival, we are currently heading towards cultural resilience and Indonesia's contribution to world civilization. To get to that, the government has prepared an ecosystem that is very realistic. Through Jogja Festivals Forum and Expo (JFFE), it is another step towards cultural resilience and how Indonesia contributes to world civilization," said Drs. Fitra Arda, M.Hum., Secretary of the General Directorate of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

Through his presentation, Fitra Arda also said that so far the state budget is still not flexible enough to fund cultural expressions. The presence of the development of Dana Indonesiana is an important answer for the overall progress towards sustainability of the cultural sector.

"The festival is a space for us to promote an ecosystem of progress."

Drs. Fitra Arda, M.Hum as Secretary of the General Directorate of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology

In this year's talkshow, Camellia Harahap as Head of Arts of the British Council Indonesia also explained the results of research conducted by the British Council regarding the impact of festivals in Southeast Asia. He explained the various positive impacts that festivals have in Southeast Asia. She noted that not only in Indonesia but also throughout Southeast Asia, festivals have a very important role in encouraging the creative economy sector.

JFFE 2022 also presents Charlotte Esnou as a Cultural Attache from Institut Français Indonesia. In his material presentation, he explained the development of festivals in France and the policies they carried out. He also explained that Institut Français Indonesia had supported festival practices several times, both small and large. Institut Français Indonesia as well as he himself feel the importance of festivals as a place of expression for creative individuals.

As the moderator at the JFFE 2022 talk show, Aan Fikriyan also explained that the presence of the British Council and the Indonesian Français Institute could help the development of festivals in Indonesia. This is because festivals still really need more research data before they can form a qualified world-class festival ecosystem.

JFFE 2022 also involved financial institutions in order to enlighten festivals about finance and funding, especially regarding the role of financial institutions in the development of culture, festivals, and events. The presence of R. Wahyu Wijanarko as the Head of the Credit Division of BPD of the Special Region of Yogyakarta is also expected to be a new source of information for festivals regarding festival fundraising. R. Wahyu Wijanarko explained several bank credit products that are suitable for usage by festivals, as well as the credit processing system at BPD at the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Various information related to finance and funding are expected to ease the burden on the festival in its implementation process.

“BPD also has a type of loan that has very low interest and can be made possible without collateral. So BPD of the Special Region of Yogyakarta will conduct a feasibility survey for businesses, whether they are entitled and eligible to get a loan," said R. Wahyu Wijanarko when asked about suitable loans for small businesses.

Drs. Fitra Arda, M.Hum, responded to the same question and said that currently Dana Indonesiana or the endowment fund has been trying to make regulation easier. So far, the government is aware that the system still makes it difficult for the community, especially festival organizers. This step is also expected to be a new progression in the hopes of becoming a funding supporter for the development of a healthy and sustainable festival ecosystem in Indonesia.

(FAI/HIM)