Seychelles Envoy, Nico Barito Calls for Soft Power Bridge from Indonesia to Africa

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - As the world commemorates the 71st anniversary of the historic Asia-Africa Conference, a new vision for South-South cooperation is taking shape. It moves beyond political solidarity toward broader collaboration across economic, cultural, and sustainable development sectors.

Special Envoy of the President of Seychelles to ASEAN, Nico Barito, outlined the idea when he visited Voice of Indonesia's studio for VOI Talk on Saturday, April 18, 2026. He said the bridge between the two regions should rely on soft power like culture, tourism, and shared environmental values.

Barito highlighted that while the ancient “Spice Road” established a heritage of economic collaboration, modern ties now suffer from a “diplomacy deficit.” He said Indonesian goods and businesses, from multinational firms to herbal brands in Seychelles, are entering African markets.

However, he stressed that people-to-people connections between Indonesia and African nations remain limited. He added that stronger cultural and social engagement is needed to complement existing economic ties.

"A good diplomacy always begins with culture, with tourism, you know. This is the core,” Barito stated while highlighting the dearth of tourism drivers that prevents a robust exchange of visitors between Indonesia and the African continent. “I think we need to expedite more programs. Maybe in sport exchange, youth exchange, tourism exchange, culture exchange.”

He noted that Indonesian cultural performances have been regularly featured in festivals and carnivals in Seychelles, helping introduce Indonesia’s rich heritage to international visitors. According to him, such initiatives reflect Seychelles’ openness to expanding collaboration and creating more opportunities for mutually beneficial engagement.

A key outcome of Barito’s recent diplomacy was his meeting with the Governor of Central Papua in Jakarta. The discussion reflected growing interest among Indonesian provinces in learning from Africa’s approach to managing natural resources.

In addition, Barito said African countries have long balanced resource extraction with environmental preservation while maintaining strong “eco-values” through conservation. He pointed to the widespread use of safari-based national parks across the continent as a model for sustainable tourism.

The Governor of Central Papua, according to Barito, expressed interest in adopting similar strategies to develop the province’s vast forests and national parks. He underscored the need to learn how African nations preserve biodiversity while continuing to explore mining and other natural resources.

“And this national park and conservation become another tourism potential,” Barito stated.

The potential collaboration aims to transform Papua’s biodiversity into a major tourism asset. By drawing on Africa’s conservation success, the province hopes to strengthen sustainable development while maintaining its environmental integrity.

Barito emphasized that African countries are increasingly open to deeper collaboration with Indonesia across sectors, particularly tourism and sustainable development. He underscored the continent’s welcoming stance, stating, “Indonesia can enter more African countries. Africa has a lot of tourism. Africans have a lot of opportunity.”