Pustakarsa Festival, Pramono Emphasizes the Importance of Literacy

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung officially opened the Pustakarsa Festival, which integrates libraries, archives, and literature, at the Emiria Soenassa Gallery, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM).

I welcome this event

This festival, which carries the theme 'Reading, Writing, Remembering, Welcoming 5 Centuries of Jakarta,' will be held for nine days, precisely from October 14 to 22, 2025.

In his speech, he welcomed the event. Literacy, archiving, and libraries are the main distinguishing factors between Jakarta as a global city and other cities.

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"I welcome this event because I know that as a global city, literacy, archiving, and libraries are what truly distinguish it from ordinary cities," he expressed, Wednesday (10/15).

He then mentioned the policy of extending the operating hours of several libraries in Jakarta until 10 PM. This service received a positive response from the public, and the libraries are now always crowded with visitors.

This indicates a high culture of reading and literacy in Jakarta, supported by various facilities provided by the Jakarta government.

"This shows that the reading process, literacy, people's desire to learn more, and so on, in Jakarta is indeed different from other cities in Indonesia," he explained.

He also mentioned that the Jakarta Community Literacy Development Index (IPLM) reached 94.16 in 2024. Hence, he encouraged all parties to maintain this momentum.

On this occasion, he also signed the agreement between the Jakarta government and the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI). This cooperation was conducted to jointly manage Jakarta's archival records.

Pramono hoped this cooperation would become a new chapter in strengthening and complementing each other, especially in documenting the archives of Jakarta's five-century history.

"Hopefully, this will be a new chapter, a new thing, that will bring benefits not only for Jakarta but also for the National Archives," he added.

Jakarta Library and Archival Agenc (Dispusip) Head, Nasruddin Djoko Surjono, explained that this year's Pustakarsa Festival is a synergy of three major events that were previously held separately, namely Archival Exhibition, Jakarta Literacy Festival, and PDS HB Jassin Literary Festival.

"This festival is not just a formal event but also a large space where we revisit the journey of this city. A city that for five centuries has been a hub of civilization, a port of ideas, and a marketplace of thoughts," he explained.

This festival will be lively with various activities, including seminars, talk shows, workshops, and archival encapsulation involving professional speakers.

In this event, the Literasi Mother and Jakarta Reading Ambassador were also inaugurated as inspiring figures who serve as role models and drivers of reading culture within families and the community. Additionally, the launch of books by Jakarta leaders from past to present was held, along with the awarding of certificates of appreciation to Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPD) and Regional-Owned Enterprises (BUMD) with the best archival audit scores.

Meanwhile, the memorandum of understanding between ANRI and the Jakarta government was signed to improve the quality of archival management, enhance human resource competence, protect and utilize static archives, and expand the network of cooperation, including at the international level.