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On the morning of 17 August 1945, the Indonesian nationalist leader, Sukarno, read out a statement declaring independence.
It was broadcast to the country on radio and it came just two days after Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II.
The announcement marked the culmination of years of struggle against Dutch colonial rule, which had lasted for over three centuries.
Sukarno’s youngest daughter, Kartika Soekarno, speaks to Matt Pintus about the journey to independence.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: Sukarno's proclamation of independence in 1945. Credit: Getty Images)
By BBC World Service4.5
898898 ratings
On the morning of 17 August 1945, the Indonesian nationalist leader, Sukarno, read out a statement declaring independence.
It was broadcast to the country on radio and it came just two days after Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II.
The announcement marked the culmination of years of struggle against Dutch colonial rule, which had lasted for over three centuries.
Sukarno’s youngest daughter, Kartika Soekarno, speaks to Matt Pintus about the journey to independence.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: Sukarno's proclamation of independence in 1945. Credit: Getty Images)

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