VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The handover of the Jikji award was carried out by Director Fackson Banda to the Acting Director of the National Library, E. Aminudin Aziz, who was accompanied by the Chair of the National Library's Archipelago Manuscript Management Working Group, Aditia Gunawan, in Cheongju, South Korea, on Wednesday (4/9/2024), (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, South Korea : The National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas) received the 10th edition of the UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World (MoW) Prize in 2024. In the 10th edition of the Jikji Prize in 2024, National Library will be the tenth institution to receive this award and the first from Indonesia.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Wednesday (04/09/24) in Jakarta, the judges assessed the extraordinary contribution of the National Library to efforts to preserve and expand access to Indonesian manuscripts, through the implementation of extensive programs in saving and increasing access to documentary heritage over the last two decades.

UNESCO Documentary Heritage Director Fackson Banda said that the National Library had won the Jikji Prize after beating many countries.

"National Library succeeded in becoming the winner from 49 nominees from 49 countries," he explained.

The handover of the Jikji award was carried out by Director Fackson Banda to the Acting Director of the National Library, E. Aminudin Aziz, who was accompanied by the Chair of the National Library's Archipelago Manuscript Management Working Group, Aditia Gunawan, in Cheongju, South Korea, on Wednesday (4/9/2024).

In his speech, Plt. The Director of the National Library expressed his deep appreciation to UNESCO and the Mayor of Cheongju. "This award is a great honor for us, because the work we have done over the past few years in collecting, preserving, conserving and presenting heritage in Indonesia, is recognized as priceless and worthy of appreciation by UNESCO and the City of Cheongju through this award," he said .

He emphasized that this award comes at the right time, in line with the new grand design that the National Library has prepared for the next few years, which sets the Nusantara manuscript as a priority program.

"The announcement of this nomination is very timely for us at National Library, because it coincides with the new grand design that we have set to promote and make Indonesian manuscripts a priority program," he said.

For this reason, we need international collaboration, because Indonesian manuscripts are not only found in Indonesia but are also in the collections of international libraries or private manuscript collectors.

“This award is a starting point for expanding international cooperation. "National Library has started an initiative to build a global network with libraries in England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt," he explained.

National Library, he explained, would take advantage of this opportunity to maximize the benefits of ancient manuscripts for the public.

Meanwhile, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay congratulated National Library for this achievement. He highlights the importance of manuscripts as windows into understanding past history, culture and lived experiences.

“Our collective efforts to improve the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage must continue. "I congratulate the National Library for this well-deserved award," he said.

The Jikji Prize is sponsored by the Cheongju City Government. The name of the prize is inspired by the book Jikji, a book of the first movable metal prints produced in 1377 in Cheongju City. This book contains Buddhist teachings which was registered as Memory of the World in 2001.

The Jikji Prize is an award given by UNESCO to individuals, institutions or non-governmental organizations in member countries who contribute significantly to efforts to preserve and expand access to documentary heritage, including ancient manuscripts//VOI