France and Indonesia have staged various events celebrating their 75 years of official bilateral ties, including President Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to Indonesia to meet President Prabowo Subianto in May, and vice versa in July.

But a prominent highlight of the two countries’ relationship lies in their shared appreciation of culture and the arts, as shown in the inclusion of Indonesian actors and filmmakers during Macron’s visit to Indonesia as part of the country’s Nouvelle Vague (new wave), a notable French film movement from the 1960s.

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That relationship was showcased once again during a book exhibition at the Institut français d’Indonésie (IFI) in Central Jakarta on Oct. 16, which revealed that Indonesia’s culture and arts heavily inspired renowned French figures such as composer Claude Debussy and poet Arthur Rimbaud.

Debussy and Rimbaud’s deep connection with Indonesia, among many other world-renowned French figures, was presented in the book written by Alexis Salatko titled Indonésie, lumières inouïes: 150 années d’échanges franco-indonésiens (Indonesia, unprecedented lights: 150 Years of Franco-Indonesian exchanges).

“This book shows that France and Indonesia’s bilateral relationship does not start only officially 75 years ago, but is much more deeply rooted from the cultural and scientific viewpoint,” French Ambassador to Indonesia Fabien Penone told The Jakarta Post during the exhibition.

“And this [relationship] was not in the form of any colonial context, it is just for the sake of culture or science,” Penone added.

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