11-12-2025

'Sjahrir is here' is a four-part podcast in which documentary photographer Isabelle Boon and KITLV researcher Fridus Steijlen search for one of the most important advocates for an independent Indonesia and the first prime minister of the republic: Sutan Sjahrir. In their search, they talk with experts, stakeholders, and Sjahrir's family, learning more about his extraordinary life and the current significance of his ideas.

Fridus and Isabelle delve into the visual aspects of diplomacy, such as the negotiations in Linggadjati and the Boven-Digoel prison camp where Sjahrir was exiled.

The podcast series is part of Isabelle's larger project about Sjahrir's legacy. She organised workshops at educational institutions in various Indonesian cities, followed and photographed young people, and engaged in conversation with them. Together with young creatives, she created a group exhibition in Jakarta, where everything revolved around encouraging individual strengths and collaboration. Sjahrir's daughter and granddaughter were also actively involved in the project.

Spotify

Listen to the podcast on Spotify.

Atelier KITLV

The project is also part of KITLV atelier.

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Podcast synopsis

In the first episode (available online since November 18, 2025), Sjahrir is introduced as the "third founding father" of Indonesia. The press presence in Linggadjati is used to discuss what the podcaster creaters call "visual diplomacy," focusing specifically on the work of photographer Cas Oorthuys.

The second episode will be released on December 24th, and focuses on Sjahrir's stay in the Netherlands and the places to which he was exiled, such as the prison camp in Boven-Digoel. This episode, through quotes from Sjahrir's letters, reveals just how well-informed he was about geopolitical developments. 

Episode three will be available from January 31, 2026. It covers the period of the Japanese occupation and the first phase of the Indonesian revolution, during which he acted as a negotiator with the Netherlands. It also examines his role as a diplomat leading to Indonesian independence. The episode concludes with his imprisonment in the 1960s, his death in Switzerland, and his burial in Jakarta. 

The fourth and final episode will be released online on March 5, 2026, Sutan Sjahrir's birthday. Isabelle will then take us through her project with young people in Indonesia, in which she explores Sjahrir's legacy and investigates how young people today think about the themes that inspired him.

This podcast was made possible financially and in other ways by the KITLV, the Marinus Plantema Foundation, the Zaaier Foundation, Ben and Riny Keiser, Jan van Nieuwenhuize, Mariet Peeters and Valentijn Webbers.

Interview

Listen to the interview (in Dutch) about the podcast with Fridus and Isabelle, Radio Oras, 23 November 2025.