Unveiling Nusantara

Unveiling Nusantara is a manifesto that challenges and sparks conversations about decolonizing and de-canonizing type and graphic design to encourage the development of ‘local’ scripts and the ‘common informal’ of the Indonesian archipelago. It looks into the ongoing challenges due to the influence and past presence of Western colonial powers in the region.

‘Nusantara’ refers to the Indonesian archipelago as a whole, reclaimed as a term that predates the arrival of Western powers. Encompassing the concept of ‘buitengewesten’, which originally referred to the outer islands beyond Java during the Javanese empire. However, in this context, it is to be used in a rebellious sense to reclaim the identity of these peripheral regions, which were often overlooked and disregarded. By embracing this term, “Nusantara” becomes a powerful symbol of Indonesian resistance, challenging the dominant narratives against the erasure of ‘local’ cultures and the imposition of foreign values. Reclaiming the spotlight for the often marginalized regions of the archipelago.