Corruption in Indonesia is widely acknowledged to be a complex issue and deeply entrenched in Indonesian culture. However, this overlooks the generally accepted notion among historians that corruption in Indonesia and other post-colonial nations is, at least partially, rooted in colonialism and the abuses of power and wealth during that period.

In this episode, Tito Ambyo speaks with Remco Vermeulen, a PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam and coordinator of international cooperation in collection management at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.

In this week's episode, Tito Ambyo chats with Taufiq Rahman to discuss the fall and rise of vinyl records in Indonesia, why "Badai Pasti Berlalu" is one of Indonesia's finest pop productions and how the artistry of Rhoma Irama extends beyond dangdut music.

Today's guests on Talking Indonesia, Dr Howie Manns and Dr Jessica Kruk, chat about teaching colloquial and formal Indonesian and other challenges faced by Indonesian teachers in Australia. 

In November 2023, a unique event occured. Eight gamelan groups came together to perform at a small church in Northcote, a suburb in North Melbourne. In this episode of Talking Indonesia, Tito Ambyo chats with the people who organised this gathering: John Cheong-Holdaway, an Australian gamelan musician; Eka Poedijono, daughter of the late Pak Poedijono; and Jocelyn Tribe, a biracial artist who connected with her Indonesian ancestry later in life.

Asian women who are developing relationships with men from Western countries, like Australia, be it through snail mails, online sites or other means, often have to face the stereotype of the ‘subservient woman’. In her new book, anthropologist Emeritus Professor Kathryn Robinson looks at intercultural marriages between Asian women and Australian men.

Soenting Melajoe was the first newspaper for women published in West Sumatra during the colonial era in the Dutch East Indies. Bronwyn Beech Jones's PhD looks at how women and girls from Sumatra articulated their experiences and conceived of themselves, their communities and aspirations in Malay language periodicals published between 1912 and 1929.

Prabowo has exceeded expectations to claim victory in 2024 Indonesian presidential election. What do our Talking Indonesia's co-hosts think about the result? In this episode of Talking Indonesia, the co-hosts Jemma Purdey, Lis Kramer, Jacqui Baker and Tito Ambyo get together to chat about the election result, their analysis plus their hopes and fears for the future of Indonesian democracy.