Aditia Gunawan

Tell us about yourself! 

I am a librarian at the National Library of Indonesia. I was born in Cianjur, West Java, to Sundanese and Javanese parents, and I am passionate about the written heritage of Indonesian. In addition to my work at the National Library, I am the Secretary-General of the Indonesian Association of Manuscripts, as well as being an active researcher in the field of classical Indonesian culture and history. 

What is the nature of your engagement with Indonesia – are you an academic, a professional, an alumni? 

I manage the National Library’s programs for the dissemination of Indonesia’s literary heritage, be it in the form of publications, events, advocacy, and capacity-building. I am involved in outreach programs like the DREAMSEA initiative, which is aimed at documenting and conserving at-risk manuscripts throughout Southeast Asia. This project aims to digitise unique collections of traditional texts held in private collections, as well as to empowering communities to conserve these valuable manuscripts. Another major initiative I am currently working on is advocacy for the National Collective Memory (IKON) program, by which works of major cultural significance can be officially recognised by the Indonesian Government, and ultimately, argue for UNESCO Memory of the World recognition.  

I also have an active research agenda in the study of Indonesian manuscripts, particularly those in the Old Sundanese language, with a particular interest in the history of pre-Islamic religion and society. Last year I completed my PhD at the Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes in Paris, supported by the European Research Council’s DHARMA Project, on the subject of “Sundanese Religion in the 15th Century”, which drew heavily on these little-studied but extremely rich textual sources. 

How do you think organisations like Indonesia Council can improve Australia-Indonesia relations? 

Organisations like the Indonesia Council can contribute to facilitating collaborations between Indonesian and Australian institutions. For example, potential collaborations between the Australian and Indonesian libraries show tremendous promise. We in Jakarta are very interested in technologies like the National Library of Australia’s Trove resource, because it will help us to improve our own capacities to integrate collections and search over a wide range of resources. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in connecting Indonesian Studies scholarship in Australia with the resources of Indonesian bodies like the National Library. For instance, the National Library of Indonesia will publish 160 texts based on our extensive manuscript holdings this year alone. Strengthening the links between Indonesian and Australian institutions in the cultural sphere will bring significant benefits. 

What’s your favourite Indonesian food and why? 

Nasi liwet eaten together with my beloved wife and children. 

What’s your favourite Indonesian music/song/writer? 

I like Indonesian rock music, like Superman is Dead!