Australia Awards in Indonesia

The Australia Awards are prestigious, transformational scholarships and short courses offered to emerging leaders for study, research and professional development in Australia

08 May 2018

Enhancing Indonesia’s Soft-power Diplomacy through Journalism

Project Leader: Lily Yulianti Farid

University: The University of Melbourne

Lead Organisation: Rumata' Foundation

Collaborating Organisations: Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Tadulako U., Central Sulawesi

Project Locations : South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi        

Activity Type : Capacity building, mentoring or coaching

Sector : Political Science and Government

Project Objectives:

  • To develop the skills of writers and academics in South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi in writing for English publications in Indonesia and Australia
  • To assist writers and academics to produce high quality articles and essays on literature, conflict resolution, women and gender issues, and international relations
  • To build writers’ professional networks and increase people-to-people relationships between Australians and writers in South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi
  • To assist writers to get published in Inside Indonesia, Australia Indonesia Centre Essay Series and The Jakarta Post.

Project Description:

Most writers in Sulawesi lack confidence writing for English newspapers or Australia webzines such as Inside Indonesia or New Mandala. This project is a professional development program for writers and academics in South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi who want to write articles and essays in English on social, development, political and regional issues. Participants will learn practical skills needed to write for the general public as well as to establish networks with major newspapers and Australian webzines. The writing workshops will be taught by Australian and Indonesia mentors. The project will address issues faced by these writers; it will result in high-quality writings about issues in South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi which are rarely published in Australian webzines and English newspapers in Indonesia. It will showcase community-driven soft-power diplomacy through literature. It will develop a book publication plan in both regions. This project has the support of Dr Jemma Purdey, who is Chair of the Board of Inside Indonesia Web Magazines, and Ms. Maggie Tiojakin from The Jakarta Post Writing Centre.

Project Beneficiaries:

The direct beneficiaries include writers and academics who participate in the project. The indirect beneficiaries include the media that receive their articles and the readers in Australia, Indonesia and world-wide who are interested in Indonesian affairs.

Priority Development Area: Effective economic institutions and infrastructure             

Links with Australia:

The project will link writers and their organizations with the Australia-Indonesia Centre Essay Series initiative and the Melbourne-based webzine, Inside Indonesia. 

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