How Turkish Dramas Went From Ankara to Jakarta: Arif Rifan’s Voyage Describes Their Cultural Transformation of Indonesian Screen Cultures

In an era where global storytelling transcends borders effortlessly, Arif Rifan’s *Voyage: How Turkish Dramas Transformed Indonesian Screen Cultures* offers a meticulously researched exploration of one of the most unexpected yet profound cultural exchanges—Indonesia’s embrace of Turkish television. From soap operas steeped in melodrama and moral dilemmas to narratives rich with emotional depth and visual splendor, Turkish dramas have quietly redefined Indonesian screen aesthetics, storytelling conventions, and audience expectations across the archipelago. Rifan’s journey reveals a cultural influx that reshaped a nation’s entertainment landscape, blending Anatolian sincerity with Southeast Asian sensibilities in a dynamic fusion.

Turkish television, long celebrated for its emotional intensity, high production values, and compelling character arcs, began gaining traction in Indonesia during the late 2000s. This shift was not immediate—initially confined to niche communities and small broadcasters—but by the 2010s, Turkish series had penetrated mainstream Indonesian media. Rifan documents this transformation with careful attention to both qualitative and quantitative shifts: increasing viewership metrics, rising Indonesian production investments in co-productions, and the blending of narrative tropes from Turkish melodramas into local TV shows.

“The emotional authenticity in Turkish dramas resonated deeply with Indonesian audiences,” Rifan notes, capturing the cultural tonal shift. Whereas earlier Indonesian television leaned heavily on comedy, folklore, and religious themes, Turkish imports introduced a new emotional grammar—one centered on long-term family bonds, heartfelt sacrifice, and complex moral choices. These elements challenged local productions to move beyond formulaic plots, encouraging deeper character development and nuanced storytelling.

Viewers, especially young adults, began demanding more emotionally layered performances and serialized, bingeable narratives.

One of the most tangible impacts lies in production quality. Turkish dramas set a benchmark for high-resolution cinematography, elaborate set designs, and professional sound editing—standards previously unmatched in many Indonesian local productions. As Rifan observes, “Indonesian broadcasters no longer viewed domestic TV as a secondary medium; it became a serious cultural and industrial project.

The Turkish model provided a roadmap for higher technical and creative investment.” Major streaming platforms and terrestrial channels alike began adopting cinematographic techniques imported directly from Turkish studios—such as strategic lighting, dynamic camera movements, and immersive location filming—enhancing visual storytelling across Indonesian screens.

The shift extended beyond aesthetics to narrative storytelling. Turkish series, particularly prestige soap operas (*diziler*) and family sagas, emphasized meticulously developed arcs spanning months or even years.

This serialized structure resonated with Indonesian audiences’ appetite for enduring engagement, influencing the rise of long-form content on platforms like YouTube, Viki, and Shondaland-produced collaborations. According to industry insiders interviewed by Rifan, “We used to air episodic stories every few weeks; now, we’re planning character lives across seasons—mirroring the Turkish approach.” This change has led to richer, more psychologically complex storytelling, reducing reliance on slapstick humor and supernatural elements in favor of human-centric drama.

Cultural adaptation was not without challenges.

Indonesian content creators navigating Turkish tropes had to balance authenticity with localization—translating emotionally charged paternal figures (*ayas* in Turkish, akin to *kakak* in Indonesian—that evoked loyalty and conflict—into culturally relevant archetypes without alienating audiences. Rifan highlights how this exchange fostered a new era of hybridity: Indonesian *diziler* began incorporating Turkish-influenced emotional tone while preserving local idioms, fostering narratives that were both globally resonant and deeply rooted in regional identity. For example, popular Indonesian series like _Ashetu Susilo_ and _Kredit Cinta_ exhibit clear markers of Turkish influence in pacing, moral dilemmas, and family conflict resolution, all filtered through local contexts.

The influence extended beyond screen arts into industry structures. Turkish co-productions introduced new financing models and creative partnerships, encouraging Indonesian media companies to experiment with international funding and co-branding. As Rifan notes, “Turkish dramas weren’t just watched—they became benchmarks.

They inspired new content strategies, talent development pipelines, and even how architecture and fashion were depicted on screen.” This ripple effect has nurtured a generation of Indonesian directors, writers, and producers highly attuned to global storytelling trends while remaining culturally rooted.

Audience behavior data reinforces this cultural shift. Ratings for high-budget Turkish-accented Indonesian productions surged by over 60% between 2015 and 2022, according to Nielsen Indonesia and Statista.

Social media engagement—teasers, fan theories, and emotional reactions—flowered around serialized releases, revealing a deeply invested public. Young Indonesian viewers describe the emotional depth and relatability of Turkish protagonists as a breath of fresh air, bridging generational gaps and offering new representation paradigms.

Arif Rifan’s analysis concludes that Turkish dramas acted as both cultural ambassadors and creative catalysts, transforming Indonesian screen cultures from the inside out.

What began as niche imports has grown into a powerful force reshaping how stories are told, seen, and felt across Indonesia’s diverse linguistic and regional landscape. As local productions increasingly adopt Turkish-influenced aesthetics and narrative depth, the line between national and transnational storytelling continues to blur—ushering in a new era of multimedia cultural dialogue. This voyage is not merely about the spread of television content; it is proof that compelling stories, when shared across borders, can fundamentally reshape artistic expression and audience expectations.