Screenshot from RSIL YouTube channel. Fair use.

The 1955 Bandung conference that took place in Indonesia signified the start of a global and non-aligned movement that brought Asian and African nations and independence movements closer than ever before. Eighty years later, Indonesia and Africa meet again in a musical phenomenon: Disko Africa.

To understand this cultural encounter, Global Voices talked to Alexei Wahyudiputra over email after an in-person meeting in Dakar, Senegal, at the Africa-Asia A New Axis of Knowledge ConFest that gathers African and Asian researchers to explore bilateral exchanges in a spirit of a decolonized “south-south north” approach. Wahyudiputra is a researcher at Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroads and a lecturer at Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia. His works revolve around Cultural and Literary Studies, specifically at the intersection of music, cinema, literary text, and affect.

Filip Noubel (FN): Indonesia is present culturally and linguistically in Africa via some languages (Malagasy), the origin of the African wax fashion, and its relations with the Indonesian batik. Where is Africa most visible today in Indonesia?

Alexei Wahyudiputra, photo by Muhammad Ammar Putra Ramadhani. Used with permission.

Alexei Wahyudiputra (AW): There is little awareness on the specificity of ‘Africa’ in Indonesia. Rather, Africa exists as a singular entity rather than designating a multitude of cultural and sociological differences. The most popular existence of Africa in Indonesia can be referred to the 1955 Bandung Conference, known here also as the Asian-African Conference.

This event propeled a collective consciousness among Indonesian society that voices Indonesia and Africa to share the same nationalist and decolonized ethos. Memories of this conference are still entrenched albeit in different nature. At the western vicinity of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium — the biggest football stadium in Indonesia — in Central Jakarta lies Jalan Asia Afrika (Asia Africa Street). The naming suggests the historical importance of that monumental conference.

Bandung, a West Java city 150 km from Jakarta and the home of the 1955 Conference, also has its own Jalan Asia Afrika. It stays true to its historical etymology where it houses Gedung Merdeka (Independence Building). Gedung Merdeka is a historic art-deco building as it was the venue for the 1955 Bandung Conference.

Aside from being an urban marker, Africa is present the most in Indonesia's football sphere. Almost every professional Indonesian football team has African players. Their respective nationality is never questioned, what matters is that they are good footballers. In fact, four African players have undergone citizenship naturalization. Three Nigerians (Greg Nwokolo, Victor Igbonefo, and Osas Saha), and a Cameroonian (Bio Paulin) have been naturalized and called into the Indonesian national team. African players have stolen many Indonesian Hooligans’ hearts and have become one of the icons of Indonesian football league.

In other sectors such as gastronomy, trade, and popular culture, Africa’s presence is relatively less well-known. In Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, a food stall selling mutton satay is popular among Jakartans. The Sate Domba Afrika (African Mutton Satay) stall is managed by Ismail Coulibaly who comes from Mali. Ismail opens his restaurant to cater African diasporas in Jakarta. Most Africans in Jakarta live in Tanah Abang as traders, cooks, and businesspeople. Surabaya houses only one African restaurant, showing little presence of African gastronomy in East Java.

In popular culture, Africa lives in Indonesians’ minds in a very exoticized image. An unfortunate truth. Wild animals, savannahs, kingdoms, and narrow traditionalisms are stereotypical images of Africa in Indonesian popular culture and entertainment. More work needs to be done to improve this situation.

FN: One aspect of African presence is in what is called Afrika Disko. What are the origins of this phenomenon? 

AW: Disko Afrika began in 2020 at Savaya, Uluwatu, Bali. It was created as a platform for African DJs to “Africanize” Bali’s cosmopolitan landscape. The event is held bi-monthly and sometimes tri-monthly. Set against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean and Uluwatu’s Hindu temple landscape, Disko Afrika adds layers of mysticism and exoticism to the already mythical island of Bali. Disko Afrika’s DJs come from various countries which most of them come from Africa or are African diasporas in other countries, such as 2wo Bunnies, Dbn Gogo, Dijok, and Anais B to name a few.

These African DJs often become the headlining act of a Disko Afrika event. Indonesian DJs such as Batik Boy, Amtake, and Mokodee also often play in a Disko Afrika event. Though they are local players, they are still part of the African sound in Savaya. Disko Afrika sounds Bali with African vibe through its constant advocation for Amapiano, Afrobeats, Kizomba, Gqom, and other electronic-dance beats originated from Africa. Its partying musicking is akin to 1970s disco, where disco emerges only in specific sites.

Just as Bali is a cosmopolitan island, Disko Afrika is no different to that notion. Audiences come from various backgrounds and countries. But Disko Afrika’s entrance ticket is quite pricey for most Indonesians. Thus, it can be considered a lavish site for most locals. This exclusivity entices partygoers from around the world to experience Africa in Bali in a double exoticizing way (to Bali and to Africa at the same time, I argue). This fact is supported by Disko Afrika’s social media presence that combines African traditional symbolism with exotic sonic quality.

Here is a music video from 1988 by Indonesian star musician Iwan Fals, who discusses Ethiopia's famine of the 1980s:

FN: Are there African students in Indonesia? 

AW: There are a lot of African students in Indonesia. Their presence is a fruitful outcome of Indonesia’s KNB Scholarship (KNB stands for Kemitraan Negara Berkembang or Developing Countries Partnership). Indonesian foreign ministry — through its many embassies — actively promote information about it. Aside from national-level scholarship, several universities in Indonesia offer scholarship specifically targeted for African students. One example is Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) that has Asia Afrika Students Scholarship (AASS). This scholarship has attracted many African students, with one prominent student from Mali studying Accounting often cited as the best example for this program

Narratives surrounding African students who dream to make an impact in their homeland are often circulated. At Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) where I work, there are several African students studying varied disciplines. Most of Indonesian universities host African students who take Economy and Business as their chosen major.

FN: The 1955 Bandung conference signaled a new level of South-South cooperation. Is there a collective memory of the Bandung spirit? 

AW: The 1955 Bandung Conference holds a special meaning for most Indonesians, especially for those who are actively engaged in historical, activistic, and social matters. The 1955 Bandung Conference births Dasasila (Ten Values) that glues Asian and African countries to fight for independence from all forms of (neo-)colonialism. This conference is undeniably Soekarno-istic. It was held during Soekarno’s heightened sovereignty in the newly independent Indonesia. This fact goes parallel with the global political instability that led Asian and African countries to coalesce into a non-bloc movement and to intensify decolonization process.

The conference took place in the same year when Indonesia held its first legislative election. Though no academic studies known to me have discussed the correlation between the conference and the legislative election, both events signify more concrete steps for Indonesia to strengthen its political structure within the nation and to propel itself into an international stage. Through the conference, a consciousness of Indonesia becoming one of the key players in the geopolitical arena resonated stronger than ever.

There exists a collective memory of the 1955 Bandung Conference among Indonesians, though there are various significance imbued to it. The event took place during the Soekarno’s ever-rising power as Indonesia’s first president. His political vision was rooted in nationalist ethos detached from any neo-colonial and Western influence. This nationalist sentiment fueled the identity of Africa-Asia shared nationalism and the conference.

This ethos differs to his successor, Soeharto, who paved a new form of nationalism by embracing Western (especially American) fingerprints in Indonesia’s New Order nation building. Such new nationalism went hand-in-hand with modernization and progressivity. Soekarno’s political spirit, alongside the 1955 Bandung Conference, is thus placed as old ideas. It lives as history, something located in the past rather than overflowing into Indonesian current habitus. The Bandung Conference is associated more with Soekarno’s political identity, that currently is viewed as still echoing strongly in his still-existing political party, the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle. The party is led by Soekarno’s daughter.

Currently, the conference’s soul still resonates in a platform called Bandung Spirit, created in 2021 by Darwis Khudori and his networks. In 2022, Bandung Spirit held a moving conference entitled Bandung-Belgrade-Havana, or BBH. In October 2025, it will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Bandung Conference through another moving conference. Therefore, Bandung Spirit has a 2.0 version.