Bandung 1955 and Indonesia’s Links with AfricaCEFR B1
17 Sept 2025
Adapted from Filip Noubel, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Mufid Majnun, Unsplash
The 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia is a key link between Asian and African movements and produced Dasasila (Ten Values). Global Voices spoke with 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 work focuses on cultural and literary studies, especially music, cinema and texts.
African presence in Indonesia appears in several areas. Football clubs often include African players, and four Africans became Indonesian citizens and joined the national team. In trade and food many Africans live in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta; one visible business is Sate Domba Afrika run by Ismail Coulibaly from Mali. Surabaya, by contrast, has only one African restaurant. Wahyudiputra also notes that African images are often exoticized in popular culture.
Music events like Disko Afrika started in 2020 in Bali to give space to African DJs and sounds such as Amapiano and Afrobeats. Education links grow through the KNB Scholarship and university aid like the Asia Afrika Students Scholarship. A Bandung Spirit platform, created in 2021, held Bandung-Belgrade-Havana in 2022 and plans a moving conference in October 2025, keeping the Bandung memory alive in cultural and political exchanges.
Difficult words
- connection — A relationship or link between things.
- culture — Ideas, customs, and social behavior of a group.
- football — A game played with a round ball by two teams.
- presence — The state of being present or existing.
- represented — To be a symbol or example of something.representation
- exchange — The act of giving and receiving something.
- understanding — The ability to comprehend or grasp meaning.
- event — An occurrence or happening, often planned.events
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How does football influence cultural exchange?
- What is the importance of education in connecting cultures?
- In what ways can events help improve cultural awareness?
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