Introducing a new podcast series
Ashlynn Hannah and Sofia Jayne
It’s a common belief in Indonesia, as it is in many parts of the world, that young people don’t care about politics. But maybe they are simply trying to navigate a political sphere from which they have been left out of by the generation before them. As two young Australians, we set out to learn from and listen to the stories of young Indonesians—our neighbours. We hope by sharing their stories, we can welcome conversations across borders and young voices will be brought to the front.
Episode 1: Students at the Heart of Activism
Indonesia has a long history of students leading movements for change. After a series of protests in August and the viral sharing of an emergency warning sign on social media we spoke to Satya Azyumar, an activist and leader of a new youth organisation called Social Justice Indonesia. Based in Jakarta, this group hosts meetings where its members get together to critically and openly discuss politics in Indonesia. In Melbourne, we spoke to academic Pipin Jamson at a rally outside the Indonesian Consulate calling for an end to Jokowi's political dynasty in Indonesia. And Victoria Winata, a young Melbourne-based Chinese-Indonesian woman who wrote and performed a play there, about her experience with intergenerational trauma from the events of May 1998.
Listen to Episode One of Tetangga via the link below.
Scroll down to view the multimedia article below or open it in a new window via the link here.
Resources
We’ve compiled a list of resources you can use to learn more. This list is by no means complete and we’ll be adding to it along the way. If you have any suggestions, please email them to tetanggapod@gmail.com.
Key sources
Project Multatuli
Konde.co
Perantau Podcast
The Gecko Project
Media Freedom Network
What Is Up, Indonesia? (WIUI)
2024 protests
‘Protests across Indonesia as parliament delays change to election law’ (Al Jazeera, 2024)
'Emergency Warning' trending on social media following House, MK standoff’ (The Jakarta Post, 2024)
2019 protests and KUHP (Criminal Code)
‘What’s driving the latest protests in Indonesia?’ (Al Jazeera, 2019)
Indonesia: New Criminal Code Disastrous for Rights (Human Rights Watch, 2022)
Kamisan
Victims of Indonesia's 1998 violence continue to fight for justice 25 years on (ABC, 2023)
Kamisan Action, 17 Years of Struggle for Justice (Kompas, 2024)
Indonesia's likely new president haunts father of missing activist (Reuters, 2024)
May 1998
Watch
Chinese Whispers by Rani Pramesti
Indonesia: Ethnic Chinese Become Victims of Ongoing Rioting (Associated Press, 2015)
Students Clash with Police at Rally (Associated Press, 2015)
Jakarta: Rioting and looting continues for 3rd day (Associated Press, 2015)
Read
My Pain, My Country by Dewi Anggraeni
Tragedi Mei 1998 dan Komnas Perempuan (The Tragedy of May 1998 and the National Commission of Violence Against Women) by Dewi Anggraeni
Pulang (‘Home’) by Leila Chudori; there are English and Indonesian versions.
‘Narratives of exile twenty years on: long-term impacts of Indonesia’s 1998 violence on transnational Chinese-Indonesian women’ by Monika Winarnita, Carol Chan, & Leslie Butt
‘Chinese Indonesian women break the silence of mass rapes in May ‘98’ by Ken Setiawan and Monika Winarnita
Freedom in the World 1998 - Indonesia (UNHCR, 1998)
21 years on, who is responsible for Trisakti riot killings? (SBS, 2022)
Essay: What remains of the 1998 tragedy for the post-1998 generation (Inside Indonesia, 2024)
'Australia’s role in the Communist massacres' (Australian Institute of International Affairs)
Credits
The podcast was produced and hosted by Ashlynn Hannah and Sofia Jayne. Theme music from the album Saudara by Joelistics, Komang and Gamelan DanAnda. Additional gamelan music is of the gamelan Digul from the MAMU archive courtesy of Margaret Kartomi. Some audio excerpts were sourced from community and news broadcasters. The sound used during the interview with Victoria Winata is from her play ‘May 1998’. Our interviewees are Social Justice Indonesia, Melbourne Bergerak, Victoria Winata. The cover art for this episode was made by collage artist Ilham Gusti Syahadat. Our main cover art is by Ika Vantiani.
You can also listen to Tetangga on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Follow us on Instagram @tetanggapodcast to keep up to date.
Ashlynn Hannah (ashlynnhannah.com) is a graduate journalist from RMIT University with experience in print, digital, and audio storytelling. She has interned at The Jakarta Globe, where she contributed to cross-cultural reporting on social issues and started to explore the stories of resilience coming out of Indonesia. As a passionate writer, she aspires to amplify the voices of others through sharing impactful stories such as Tetangga.
Sofia Jayne (sofiajayne.com) is a recent graduate of RMIT University’s Bachelor of Communication, specialising in Journalism and Politics. Her fascination with Indonesia began during her internship with Amnesty International Indonesia in 2023, while on the ACICIS Journalism Professional Practicum in Jakarta. Immersed in dynamic conversations with young journalists and activists, she was inspired by their bravery and determination when challenging oppression. Since returning to Melbourne, she has continued delving deeper into Indonesian politics and human rights issues. Sofia is a youth editor for Inside Indonesia and is passionate about amplifying young voices.
