Famous people who grew up or lived in Indonesia
7 notable people grew up or lived in Indonesia. Each listing explores the home and neighbourhood, and how the place shaped the person they became.
I Gusti Ketut Jelantik1800–1849
📍 Monumen Perang Puputan Jagaraga, Desa Jagaraga, Kecamatan Sawan, Kabupaten Buleleng, Bali 81171, Indonesia
When the Dutch fleet first appeared off Buleleng's coast in 1846, the Raja sent me to negotiate. I negotiated nothing — I refused to accept their terms because their terms were our…
I Gusti Ngurah Rai1917–1946
📍 Taman Pujaan Bangsa Margarana, Desa Kelaci, Kecamatan Marga, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82181, Indonesia
I knew by the autumn of 1946 that the Dutch intended to restore colonial control over Bali regardless of what Sukarno had proclaimed in August 1945. When they surrounded my Ciung Wanara…
I Wayan Lotring1898–1983
📍 Gg. Lotring, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
I was born in Banjar Tegal when Kuta was still a fishing village that smelled of salt and woodsmoke, not a tourist resort. From childhood I sat beside the men of the sekaa gong and listened…
Maria Catarina Sumarsihfrom 2007
📍 Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, Gambir, Jakarta Pusat, DKI Jakarta 10110, Indonesia
My son Wawan was twenty years old when soldiers shot him on the thirteenth of November 1998, near Semanggi. He was an economics student at Atma Jaya University, not a soldier, not a threat…
Munir Said Thalib1965–2004
📍 Jalan Bukit Berbunga No. 2, Sidomulyo, Kecamatan Batu, Kota Batu, Jawa Timur 65317, Indonesia
I began as a legal aid lawyer in Surabaya in 1989, and I spent fifteen years documenting what the Indonesian military did to people in East Timor, Aceh, and Papua — disappearances, torture…
Raden Adjeng Kartini1879–1904
📍 Jalan RA Kartini No. 1, Jepara, Kabupaten Jepara, Jawa Tengah 59413, Indonesia
At twelve, the pingitan tradition required that I leave school and enter seclusion — I could not leave the family compound, could not study, could not speak publicly. My father the Regent…
Sukarno1901–1967
📍 Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
I was born Kusno Sosrodihardjo on the 6th of June 1901 in Surabaya, East Java, and became Sukarno — the first President of independent Indonesia. I studied engineering, became a nationalist…