Indonesia Council Digest - February 2025
Happy new year, if it’s not too late to say that, and we hope you all had a restful and refreshing break over December and January.
My summer highlight was visiting (and inhaling) Putricia the flowering corpse plant (bunga bangkai) at Sydney’s Botanic Garden. There was plenty of media coverage about this rare event, and I was happy to see that a lot of the coverage made reference to the fact that this spectacular plant originates in Sumatra, Indonesia.
On the day of my visit, I spied a Royal Botanic Gardens staff member, Lyndle H., wandering around with a book – in Indonesian – about the flower in question. Well, we got chatting and it turns out – of course – she is ex-ACICIS, following which she spent 2-3 years working at Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens) as an environmental education officer. While at Bogor she noticed that visiting school kids often confused bunga bangkai and the Rafflesia (I’m no horticulturalist but it seems the bunga bankai stands tall and Rafflesia lies on the ground, among, er, various other differences).
To address this misunderstanding, Lyndle created this fabulous Indonesian language resource for the schoolkids, and still retains one precious copy. So, a cheer for ACICIS networks, for the wonders of Indonesia’s flora, and for public enthusiasm for the theatrics of a stinky plant.
Read on for more information about ICOC 2025 (7-10 July, Melbourne), including some special offers for our members. We’re enormously grateful to our colleagues at the University of Melbourne who are working hard to ensure the success of this year’s ICOC. And if you’re keen to host ICOC 2027, please do get in touch. It’s never too early to start planning!
Ramadan is just around the corner, so we’d like to take his opportunity to wish those of you who celebrate a blessed and peaceful holy month.
And finally, did you know we're on LinkedIn? You can find us here.
Natali
President, Indonesia Council
iclistdata [at] gmail.com
What’s happening
Australia v. Indonesia in Sydney
Indonesia is playing Australia in Sydney next month as part of the FIFA World Qualifiers (if I’ve got that wrong, don’t @ me – I know nothing about soccer), and some of us Sydney-based folks on the Exec were organised enough to get tickets.
Let us know if you’re going to be there – and which side you will be barracking for!
BRICS?
And in the foreign policy realm, Indonesia has started the year by joining BRICS as a member. It has long been an observer, and, as Fitriani argues in this piece for The Strategist, by formalising its membership Indonesia is remaining consistent with its multi-alignment strategy of friends to all, enemies to none, whilst also creating opportunities to engage with non-traditional markets.
Indonesian art exhibition
Folks in Sydney might also be interested to visit Indonesian artist Jumaadi’s new show at King Street Gallery.
‘The Birds from the Blossoms’ is a collection of works on canvas, buffalo hide and new large scale works on paper, and is open until 8 March.
Nongkrong Festival
Nongkrong Festival is a celebration of Indonesian-Australian identity through food, arts, and dialogue, held in Melbourne. Curated by a diverse team of new migrants, long-term residents, and those with roots in both Indonesia and Australia, the 3-week festival creates a space for connection and reflection. This year’s edition explores the "roots and routes” that have shaped the Indonesian diaspora, fostering ruang bernaung—a safe and inclusive space for all—through creativity, storytelling, and open-ended conversations.
Don’t miss the closing event “Sarapan” happening on Sunday, 23 Feb at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Exploring Ambon’s Natural Legacy
From June 26-29, 2025, the Negeri Rempah Foundation will host a trip to Ambon, tracing the legacy of 17th-century naturalist Georg Eberhard Rumphius.
Captivated by the biodiversity of the Moluccas, Rumphius dedicated his life to documenting the region’s flora, leaving a lasting impact on science.
Led by Prof. Sangkot Marzuki of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, this journey will offer insights into his work and the unique ecosystems of the spice islands.
Spaces are limited – more details at bit.ly/rumphiustrip.
Other cool stuff
ABC News 24 premiered a new show during the new year, called Indonesia Down Under – available in both Indonesian and English, it follows four ABC Indonesia reporters to five Australian cities and features some familiar faces.
Jobs
Macquarie University is advertising for a Postdoctoral Fellow to contribute to their disinformation studies research projects. The successful candidate will work alongside Professor Julian Droogan and Ms. Jennifer Williams on social media-based research investigating influence operations, their effects, and effective countermeasures. They are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in social media, Bahasa Indonesia, politics and security, as well as cultures of communication. International applicants are warmly encouraged. Applications close 3 March 2025, and you can find more information here.
IC Member Opportunities
Bursaries for Postgraduates attending ICOC 2025
Indonesia Council Open Conference 2025 is rapidly approaching (7-10 July), and abstract acceptance has now gone out via email from the conference organising committee. If your abstract has been accepted and you are a postgraduate student, we warmly encourage you to apply for our inaugural PG Bursary (two on offer). To do so, please send an email titled “Application for IC Bursary” to the Indonesia Council Grants and Prizes Officer, Monika.Winarnita [at] unimelb.edu.au by 21 March 2025. The email must include:
proof of abstract acceptance
a copy of your abstract, and
conference registration.
Note that you have to be a member of the Indonesia Council to be eligible for consideration (check here for full eligibility), so if you want to be considered for a bursary, you can sign up for IC membership here. Doing so will also enable you to attend our IC Public Speaking Workshop on 29 May (see below) ahead of the conference.
IC Public Speaking Workshop, 29 May 2025
All IC Postgraduate members, especially but not only those attending ICOC 2025, are invited to join us for a Public Speaking Workshop on 29 May from 12.30pm (delivered online). Hosted by Natali Pearson (President), Elly Kent (Secretary) and Tamara Megaw (PG Representative), this workshop will focus on tips and tricks for an effective and exciting conference presentation. To register your interest please email us at iclistdata [at] gmail.com. Note that you have to be a member of the Indonesia Council to be eligible to participate in this workshop; join here.
IC members networking event, 8 July 2025
IC Members are invited to join other members, including members of the IC Executive, for a special networking event at the Indonesia Council Open Conference 2025 from 4-5.30pm, Tuesday 8 July 2025. Check the ICOC program for all the details. The event, generously supported by the Indonesia Forum, will include the awarding of our inaugural Postgraduate Bursary prizes, accompanied by delicious Indonesian delicacies. Important! This event is for paid-up (including our fee-free student members) Indonesia Council members only.
Free IC membership for high school and undergraduate students
Did you know we offer a free membership category for high school and undergraduate students interested in Indonesia? If you're a school teacher or a university lecturer doing the good work of passing on Indonesian language skills to the next generation, please let your students know that they can join IC for free, allowing them to tap into a broader network of Indonesia-interested folks across Australia, Indonesia and globally. Find out more on our memberships page, or just click through via this link to sign up on the spot.
Call for papers
The American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS), in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU) Asian Studies Center, will hold the 5th annual AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies from June 17 - 21, 2025. The proposal submission deadline is 28 February 2025 and you can find more information here.