Witness

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 polit