Jakarta - New arrivals can be quick to judge the Durian City for its bumper-to-bumper traffic, rubbish and polluted rivers. Jakarta can also seem an overwhelmingly dangerous place, with its religious tensions, corruption, armies of beggars, seasonal floods and crumbling infrastructure.
But another side of the city beckons, too: the homemade delicacies at Pasar Raya Market, phinisi schooners docked at Sunda Kelapa Port, a myriad of spices and fruits, historic masterpieces in the museums of Fatahillah Square — and this is just the beginning of a journey to the heart of Jakarta.
A number of organizations in Jakarta work both to preserve the city`s cultural heritage and bridge communities. Among them is the Indonesian Heritage Society, or IHS, a nonprofit organization established in 1970 for the purpose of supporting the museums of Indonesia by promoting the preservation and appreciation of local art and culture.
In a country of extremes, where malls are rampant on one side and poverty and striking hunger are evident on the other, cultural appreciation tends to be the last thing on the minds of many people.
The society has published a book called “Museum Encounters: Jakarta,” a brief overview of the city`s museums. And in another effort aimed at educating both foreigners and locals about Jakarta`s treasures, the heritage society has an evening lecture series.
The society has organized fund-raisers for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and the Indonesian Dance Festival and helps run tours to sites that are not on the tourist map, such as a soy sauce factory or a house wherejamu, traditional herbal tonics, is produced.
Its Heritage Tours include journeys to further flung places such as West Timor and Flores in Nusa Tenggara Timor Province and Sulawesi Island.
The society is also the publisher of the classic “Jakarta Explorer,” which has found its way into the hands of many an expat.
Ro King, president of the Indonesian Heritage Society, joined the organization as a newcomer to the city, hoping for an introduction to life in Indonesia.
“By joining this society, I was able to have a little taste of what it is to be in Indonesia, because it is a country with such diverse cultures and people, even if I lived here my whole life, I would not know about them all,” she said.
Two other community groups attempt to raise the interest of the younger set in Indonesian tradition, history, culture and customs. Both groups are headed by professionals in their 20s and 30s, which may indicate a developing trend.
“I see it as a younger generation hungry for knowledge of local history, most of which was hidden from us before the rise of the New Order in 1998,” said Ade Purnama, founder and director of Friends of the Museum, or Batmus.
The community`s regular Plesiran Tempo Doeloe, or Trips to Olden Times, are jaunts to the museums and historic sites of Jakarta`s Old Town ¬— also known as Batavia — which begins north of the city center at the Kota train station and spans west to the Kali Besar river.
Friends of the Museum is free to join and has been run by volunteers — many of them university students — since 2002.
History buffs can also explore the city with Komunitas Jelajah Budaya, or Cultural Exploration Community, led by Kartum Setiawan, which runs a nightime tour of the Bank Mandiri Museum in downtown Batavia.
Participants are transported back to the 17th century, a time when Java was under Dutch rule. A brass band greets them at the door and waiters serve Rijstafel dishes in Dutch colonial costumes. They are then led from the basement — where the Meneer & Mevrouw (colonial language for Mr. and Mrs.) kept their valuables — to the rooftop and a city lights view
One of the highlights of the tour is a dramatization of colonial times complete with Chinese cashiers, soldiers on vintage bikes and board members holding meetings, depicting the early banking activities of the historic institution and making references to the Dutch and Chinese merchants who were the regular customers of that time. Titania Veda
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com (December 25, 2008)
But another side of the city beckons, too: the homemade delicacies at Pasar Raya Market, phinisi schooners docked at Sunda Kelapa Port, a myriad of spices and fruits, historic masterpieces in the museums of Fatahillah Square — and this is just the beginning of a journey to the heart of Jakarta.
A number of organizations in Jakarta work both to preserve the city`s cultural heritage and bridge communities. Among them is the Indonesian Heritage Society, or IHS, a nonprofit organization established in 1970 for the purpose of supporting the museums of Indonesia by promoting the preservation and appreciation of local art and culture.
In a country of extremes, where malls are rampant on one side and poverty and striking hunger are evident on the other, cultural appreciation tends to be the last thing on the minds of many people.
The society has published a book called “Museum Encounters: Jakarta,” a brief overview of the city`s museums. And in another effort aimed at educating both foreigners and locals about Jakarta`s treasures, the heritage society has an evening lecture series.
The society has organized fund-raisers for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and the Indonesian Dance Festival and helps run tours to sites that are not on the tourist map, such as a soy sauce factory or a house wherejamu, traditional herbal tonics, is produced.
Its Heritage Tours include journeys to further flung places such as West Timor and Flores in Nusa Tenggara Timor Province and Sulawesi Island.
The society is also the publisher of the classic “Jakarta Explorer,” which has found its way into the hands of many an expat.
Ro King, president of the Indonesian Heritage Society, joined the organization as a newcomer to the city, hoping for an introduction to life in Indonesia.
“By joining this society, I was able to have a little taste of what it is to be in Indonesia, because it is a country with such diverse cultures and people, even if I lived here my whole life, I would not know about them all,” she said.
Two other community groups attempt to raise the interest of the younger set in Indonesian tradition, history, culture and customs. Both groups are headed by professionals in their 20s and 30s, which may indicate a developing trend.
“I see it as a younger generation hungry for knowledge of local history, most of which was hidden from us before the rise of the New Order in 1998,” said Ade Purnama, founder and director of Friends of the Museum, or Batmus.
The community`s regular Plesiran Tempo Doeloe, or Trips to Olden Times, are jaunts to the museums and historic sites of Jakarta`s Old Town ¬— also known as Batavia — which begins north of the city center at the Kota train station and spans west to the Kali Besar river.
Friends of the Museum is free to join and has been run by volunteers — many of them university students — since 2002.
History buffs can also explore the city with Komunitas Jelajah Budaya, or Cultural Exploration Community, led by Kartum Setiawan, which runs a nightime tour of the Bank Mandiri Museum in downtown Batavia.
Participants are transported back to the 17th century, a time when Java was under Dutch rule. A brass band greets them at the door and waiters serve Rijstafel dishes in Dutch colonial costumes. They are then led from the basement — where the Meneer & Mevrouw (colonial language for Mr. and Mrs.) kept their valuables — to the rooftop and a city lights view
One of the highlights of the tour is a dramatization of colonial times complete with Chinese cashiers, soldiers on vintage bikes and board members holding meetings, depicting the early banking activities of the historic institution and making references to the Dutch and Chinese merchants who were the regular customers of that time. Titania Veda
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com (December 25, 2008)
