Bonjour Nusantara: The Internationalization of the Indonesian Language in France Through Indonesian Cultural Diplomacy
Muhammad Fauzan

Universitas Negeri Jakarta

Abstract

Indonesia is a country rich in languages, cultures, and natural resources, making it one of the centers of global diversity. However, out of the 1,728 Intangible Cultural Heritages (ICH) designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology up to 2022, only 15 have been recognized by UNESCO. This indicates the need for a more massive internationalization effort of Indonesian culture and language. One of the countries showing great interest in Indonesian language and culture is France, which currently has four universities offering Indonesian language studies and various cultural promotion activities. Nevertheless, the internationalization of the Indonesian language in France still faces challenges, one of the major factors being the unfamiliarity of Indonesian culture among the French society. To address these challenges, the Bonjour Nusantara is proposed as an initiative to internationalize the Indonesian language through cultural diplomacy in France. The program is designed to be massive, modern, and sustainable, consisting of four main sub-programs: Bahtera Bahasa as the BIPA (Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers) learning center, Panggung Nusantara as a platform for Indonesian arts and cultural performances, Kampoeng Nusantara as an interactive educational space for Indonesian culture, and Saga Nusantara as a creative industry integrating technology and gamification. The implementation of Bonjour Nusantara is planned over five years through stages of planning, implementation, launching, evaluation, and expansion to various cities in France. This program is expected to increase French society^s interest in Indonesian language and culture, expand networks of cultural diplomacy, and support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) No. 4 on quality education, as well as contribute to realizing the vision of Indonesia Emas 2045.

Keywords: Keywords: internationalization, cultural diplomacy, Indonesian language, France.

Topic: Cultural Diplomacy and Global Literacy