Jakarta, Indonesia :: Doulos Hope's visit to Jakarta saw her crew take part in the 2026 Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF), creating opportunities to share books, cultures and experiences with visitors.
Nobody expects a ship on the guest list of a bookfair. But at the Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF) 2026, Doulos Hope took part in the annual international literary event, represented by crewmembers from different nations who brought her story and her books to visitors.
The vessel, privileged to return on behalf of organisation GBA Ships to Indonesia after more than 30 years, was given a warm welcome to the country at IIBF 2026.
As part of the event, Doulos Hope crewmembers were invited to present a programme to share about Doulos Hope’s work of making good quality literature available to all, along with the cultures and friendships found on board. Their time at the fair was a reminder of how much can be achieved through partnerships with others toward this goal.
Organised by the Indonesian Publishers Association (IKAPI), the 46th IIBF brought together publishers, readers, educators and creative professionals from Indonesia and around the world to celebrate books, literacy and cultural exchange. The fair welcomed more than 70 participants from 24 countries, with more than 50 public discussions involving approximately 200 speakers.
This year’s theme, “Read Today, Lead Tomorrow”, reflects IKAPI’s mission. Novi Arsianti, head of the Secretariat Office at IKAPI, said, “We are encouraging young people to read, and then they can be a leader when they get older.” Many students visit the fair as part of what IKAPI calls “wisata literasi”, or “literacy tourism”.
For Astrid, an attendee, the cultural performances offered something new. “[The dances are] very awesome because I haven’t seen those type of performances before, so it’s very fun to see foreign people here and see dances from other countries,” she said.
Beyond the cultural performances, many are now encouraged to visit the ship as the presentations allowed the attendees to take a closer look at Doulos Hope.
Celsi, another attendee, said, “It's a ship with so many books in it. And there's so many people from different countries, and we can learn to speak English and make new relationships.”
“I'm really excited to check out the books you have,” she added.
“You being here allows the new generation to improve their interest to read books.”
“It's good that we can promote awareness [about the ship]. Your library does not stand still in a building, right? They can go and they can meet you wherever you are... the library is meeting them,” Novi said.
Doulos Hope is grateful for the opportunity to be part of IIBF 2026 and to share how a floating bookfair can serve a community by helping people discover books, meet others from around the world and be inspired to read.
We give thanks to all our partners in Indonesia and globally who made this possible. For every young visitor who stepped closer to a book that day, it was a reminder that today's readers are tomorrow's leaders.