"Hopefully, we can create a dangdut wave. In the future, it should not only be Korean music that the world enjoys, but our dangdut as well," he said during the "Pandangan Pertama: Tribute to A. Rafiq" concert on Tuesday.
Zon stressed that state support for dangdut promotion aligns with the constitutional mandate to advance culture.
"The dangdut wave must contribute to global civilization, because as mandated in Article 32 Paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, the state advances national culture within world civilization while ensuring the community preserves and develops cultural values," he explained.
He praised the concert honoring Indonesian dangdut legend A. Rafiq, highlighting the singer’s legacy as a performer, songwriter, and actor.
"The Ministry of Culture highly appreciates and supports this concert. Dangdut is an important and original Indonesian music genre. While it incorporates influences from various sources, dangdut is truly Indonesia’s own," Zon said.
He added that Rafiq's works have inspired previous generations and contributed significantly to the genre's development.
On October 25, Zon emphasized the strategic role of music, including dangdut, as part of Indonesia's soft power.
"We know that music is a form of soft power. Many countries have leveraged music as their soft power. We want dangdut to also become a global dangdut wave," he said.
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Translator: Sinta, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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