Bandung 1955 and Indonesia’s Links with AfricaCEFR A2
17 Sept 2025
Adapted from Filip Noubel, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Mufid Majnun, Unsplash
The 1955 Bandung Conference helped shape links between Asia and Africa and introduced Dasasila (Ten Values). Alexei Wahyudiputra spoke after a meeting in Dakar. He works at the Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroads and teaches at Universitas Airlangga.
Today African presence shows in sport, food, music and study. Many clubs have African footballers and four players became Indonesian citizens and joined the national team. In Central Jakarta people from Africa run stalls like Sate Domba Afrika. Disko Afrika began in Bali in 2020 and plays Afrobeats and other dance music. African students come on KNB scholarships and some get the Asia Afrika Students Scholarship. A platform called Bandung Spirit started in 2021 and plans a moving conference in October 2025.
Difficult words
- impact — a strong effect or influence
- professional — related to jobs or careers
- relationship — the way two or more groups connectrelationships
- student — a person who learns in schoolstudents
- scholarship — money given for education
- culture — the ideas and customs of a groupcultures
- exchange — giving and receiving ideas or things
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think cultural exchange is important?
- How do scholarships help students adapt to new cultures?
- What sport do you think is most popular among African footballers in Indonesia?
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