Brawijaya University’s Academic Diplomacy Helps Malang Earn UNESCO Creative City Recognition in Media Arts
Malang, The Gulf Observer: Brawijaya University (UB) has played a pivotal role in supporting Malang City’s recognition as a UNESCO Creative City in the field of media arts, underscoring the power of academic collaboration in cultural development and international diplomacy.
UB Lecturer in Chinese Language and Culture, Yang Nadia Miranti, revealed that the university’s cooperation with Peking University was instrumental in advancing Malang’s nomination. “UB’s academic diplomacy with Peking University was vital,” Miranti said in a statement released by ANTARA on Saturday.
The collaboration took shape through the facilitation of Professor Xiang “Hardy” Yong, UNESCO Chair on Creativity and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas and Dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Peking University, who visited Malang to assess the city’s creative potential.
In February 2025, Professor Hardy, accompanied by representatives from UB’s Faculty of Humanities and Malang municipal officials, toured several key cultural and creative hubs, including the Malang Creative Center, Kayutangan Heritage Village, and Polowijen Cultural Village.
Following these visits, the team drafted an official recommendation letter, a crucial document that supported Malang’s UNESCO application. The letter highlighted the city’s robust commitment to nurturing a vibrant media arts ecosystem, which played a decisive role in its eventual recognition.
According to Miranti, the recommendation served as both international academic validation for UNESCO’s evaluation process and a platform for future collaboration with other UNESCO Creative Cities such as Changsha (China) and Gwangju (South Korea).
Miranti emphasized that Malang’s creativity reflects a unique blend of Indonesian and Chinese cultural influences, visible in its cuisine, arts, and architecture. “Malang embodies the spirit of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network—a place where media arts foster cultural resilience, economic vitality, and social cohesion,” she noted.
During his visit, Professor Hardy also proposed the establishment of a Media Arts Innovation Council and the creation of a Media Arts Impact Index in partnership with UB to measure the contribution of creative cities toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Looking ahead, UB and Peking University plan to launch a UNESCO Chair Workstation, initiate a student mobility program in 2026, and assist Malang in developing sister-city and sister-village partnerships with counterparts in China.
The milestone marks not only Malang’s ascent as a hub of creative innovation but also highlights the growing significance of academic diplomacy in shaping global cultural networks.
