Bandung 1955 and Indonesia’s Links with AfricaCEFR B2
17 Sept 2025
Adapted from Filip Noubel, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Mufid Majnun, Unsplash
The 1955 Bandung Conference remains an important historical connection between Asian and African movements, promoting a non-aligned, decolonized spirit and giving rise to Dasasila (Ten Values). Global Voices interviewed Alexei Wahyudiputra after a meeting in Dakar at the Africa-Asia A New Axis of Knowledge ConFest. Wahyudiputra is a researcher at the Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroads and a lecturer at Universitas Airlangga; his research concentrates on cultural and literary studies, including music, cinema and literary texts.
Physical reminders of Bandung appear across Indonesia: Jalan Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta and Bandung, and Gedung Merdeka in Bandung where the conference took place. The event is linked to Soekarno’s political leadership and occurred in the same year as Indonesia’s first legislative election, a moment that helped shape the country’s modern political structure.
African influence today stretches from sport to food and nightlife. Almost every professional Indonesian club has African players, and four players became Indonesian citizens and joined the national team:
- Greg Nwokolo
- Victor Igbonefo
- Osas Saha
- Bio Paulin
In Central Jakarta many Africans live and work in Tanah Abang, and businesses include Sate Domba Afrika run by Ismail Coulibaly from Mali. Surabaya has only one African restaurant, showing a limited presence in East Java. Disko Afrika began in 2020 at Savaya, Uluwatu, Bali to "Africanize" Bali; it runs bi-monthly or tri-monthly with African and diaspora DJs alongside Indonesian DJs, highlighting Amapiano, Afrobeats, Kizomba and Gqom. The audience is international but tickets are relatively expensive, and the event’s social media mixes African symbols with exotic imagery.
Education ties grow through the KNB Scholarship (Kemitraan Negara Berkembang) and targeted schemes such as Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang’s Asia Afrika Students Scholarship (AASS). African students at Universitas Airlangga and other institutions often study Economy and Business and are described as aiming to make an impact in their home countries. A platform called Bandung Spirit, created in 2021 by Darwis Khudori, held Bandung-Belgrade-Havana in 2022 and plans a moving conference in October 2025, showing that the Bandung memory continues to shape cultural and political exchanges between Indonesia and Africa.
Difficult words
- decolonize — remove colonial control or influence from societiesdecolonized
- non-aligned — not formally allied with major power blocs
- legislative — relating to the making of laws
- diaspora — people from one region living in other countries
- scholarship — financial support for a student's study
- exotic — strange or unusual in a way attracting interest
- platform — a space or service for public communication
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might music events like Disko Afrika influence Indonesian perceptions of African cultures? Give reasons and examples.
- What are the possible benefits and challenges for African students studying in Indonesian universities with scholarships?
- In what ways can a historical event such as the Bandung Conference continue to shape cultural and political exchanges today?
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