Indonesia stands to pull off a publishing double in 2022. Jakarta is to host the 2022 IPA Congress and has another iron in the fire. Winning the 2022 UNESCO World Book Capital title would be the icing on the cake for the largest SE Asia book market and the world’s fourth largest country by internet users.
As we know from the 2020 virtual Frankfurt Book Fair, the 33rd International Publishers Association (IPA) Congress has been set for November 11-13 and will be held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The ceremony video can be viewed on the IPA website here.
Jakarta’s Governor, Anies Baswedan spoke about the role of Indonesia as a bridge for developing the publishing industry across the APAC region.
We are ready to hold this prestigious international event and become a meeting place for stakeholders in the field of books to create creative ideas and prepare Asia Pacific as the centre of world development in the future.
Per a report on Indonesia’s Okezone,
Jakarta is home to more than 10 million people, and has long been a center for literature, culture and the arts. The capital city of Indonesia has 5,604 libraries, 1,240 publishers, and 30% of all modern Indonesian bookstores in this city. Every year, the Indonesian publishing industry, which is supported by more than 5,000 publishers, produces 120,000 titles, making Indonesia one of the largest book producers in Southeast Asia.
One might add that while digital publishing is still in its infancy, and Indonesia is still only at 62.6% internet penetration, there are in 2020 170 million people online – more than any country in Europe – and in fact the fourth largest country on the planet by internet users, behind only the USA, India and China.
Earlier this year Sweden’s Storytel announced it would be launching in Indonesia in early 2021.
IPA Vice President Bodour Al Qasimi said of the IPA Jakarta Congress,
We are very pleased that the 2022 (Congress) can be held in Jakarta. The Indonesian publishing market is growing rapidly, is significant, and has a great opportunity to become a future publishing force in Asia. Indonesia’s vision for the 2022 International Publishing Congress is very interesting and we are looking forward to it being realised.
Jakarta is also in the running for the 2022 UNESCO World Book Capital. It will be a first for Indonesia if it is achieved.
The Chair of the Jakarta Book City Committee, Laura Prinsloo, oversees the 17000 Pulau Imaji Foundation, the Indonesian Publishers Association (IKAPI), the Jakarta Library Board, the Indonesian Library Community Forum and various stakeholders in the creative industry.
Talking about the UNESCO Word Book Capital prospects, Governor Anies said:
We work together to improve the quality of citizen literacy as well as improve the climate of the publishing industry. These two things are very closely related. Citizens’ literacy is very dependent on the books they read. Publishers can publish quality books because they are supported by a healthy climate, such as values of democracy, freedom of speech, and an evenly growing economy.
More about the Jakarta World Book City bid here.
The UNESCO World Book Capital 2021 will be Tbilisi in Georgia.
Recent TNPS coverage of the Indonesia book market includes:
