Heritage Corner

Forts catch my attention everywhere I go. Despite their physical ruined condition, spirits and history are so vivid in every fort that exists until today. Second, I have concern about forts in Indonesia. Hundred of forts are waiting for exploitation for adaptive reuse or they have been transformed for new functions but need better programs and management. Compared to adaptive reuse of forts in other countries, Indonesia still neglects its forts. They don´t contribute maximum yet to local social economic and cultural development.  I will share forts that I visited in the last half year. In all these forts, public education programs are prioritized and well managed. They attract foreign and local tourists and become lively places.  Fort Zeelandia, Tainan, Taiwan (Nov 2017) Replica of Dejima Fort, Nagasaki, Japan (Dec 2017) Galle Fort, Sri Lanka (March 2018) Cartagena de Indias, Colombia (May 2018) Naarden Vesting , Netherla...

I am volunteering at the Festival We Make The City in Amsterdam, 20-24 June 2018. It is the largest festival addressing issues in urban areas with a lot and a lot of programs and many thousands participants. The whole Amsterdam Metropolitan area will be the festival's arena.  Why did I decide to be a volunteer while I have plenty to do? Because I care about the place where I live and all of other places in the world.  It is fascinating to see how people keep developing ideas and innovations to make cities as better places to live. And if I could say something, I will say that we shouldn't limit the ideas of festival to urban areas only but also to suburbs and villages. Those peripheral areas have huge and unlimited potentials to develop and offer high quality of life. 

Kamis, 7 Juni 2018, ada diskusi di Museum Etnologi Leiden berjudul "De Ontzameling van Museum Nusantara, Een Uitzonderlijk Proces" (Pembagian Koleksi Museum Nusantara, Sebuah Proses yang Luar Biasa). Sebuah diskusi setengah hari yang merefleksikan secara jujur dan obyektif hubungan antara Belanda dengan Indonesia khususnya, serta posisi etnologi di dunia internasional.  Ceritanya bermula dari penutupan Museum Nusantara di Delft pada bulan Januari 2013 karena dianggap kurang peminat. Koleksi museum sejumlah 18 ribu buah harus menemukan tempat yang baru sesuai kaidah hukum dan peraturan yang berlaku di Belanda dan standar internasional yang mengatur hal itu. Setelah melalui proses yang berliku selama 5 tahun akhirnya ada 17 museums baik lokal, nasional maupun internasional yang menampung koleksi Museum Nusantara.  Dari 18 ribu koleksi, sekitar 16 ribu diantaranya berasal dari Indonesia, oleh sebab itu disebut juga repatriasi yaitu pengembalian koleksi ke negara asaln...

...and this is cultural heritage promotions in the Taipei Airport (June 2018) about everyday life in the Penghu Island,  Taiwan. 

I enjoyed myself in the airports of Taipei and Hongkong lately with their efforts to promote cultural heritage in the middle of passenger flows. It is a smart way to use  spaces and to atrract attentions from passengers who are usually have to wait for their flights.  In Hongkong, they have exhibitions about traditional dress Cheongsam, teapots and traditional foodstall that is almost dissapearing from the streets in Hongkong. They offer also a workshop about Cultural Caleidoscope on weekends. What a great example for otehr airports.

The Asian Network of Industrial Heritage (ANIH) was officially established in March 2018. The ANIH aims to work in collaboration with industrial heritage societies to develop common vision of Asian industrial heritage. It is a follow up of the 15th TICCIH (the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage) Meeting in 2012 in Taiwan with the result the Taipei Declaration for Industrial Heritage.  The network will play a role to empower Asian narratives on its industrial heritage which mostly was built during colonial era by colonial powers. In Asia, industrial heritage has not only experienced modernization, but is closely associated with daily life, memory and social change.  Secretary office of ANIH is located in the Cultural and Creative Industries Park, Taichung City, a former Taisho Brewery Company in 1916.  The First Forum of ANIH took place in the Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park, 30-31 May 2018. This meeting wa...

This is the summary of Heritage hands-on 's presentation titled "Rise and Fall of Sugar Industry in Indonesia" during the First Forum of Asian Network of Industrial Heritage, Taichung, Taiwan, 31 May 2018. More information on the event is on the posting of 24 April 2018. INDONESIA:  FROM THE SECOND LARGEST SUGAR EXPORTER TO THE SECOND LARGEST IMPORTER IN THE WORLD? [i]   During the colonial era, the peak triumph was achieved through farmers’ sacrifice.  Sugarcane was produced in the fertile land of the farmers with a forced very low lease, forced labors and prioritized irrigation system. [ii High financial support for research institutions to produce super varieties.  In the beginning of Independence, Indonesia institutions and manpower were not exclusively ready to optimally develop sugarcane industry and trade.  There were no comprehensive policies and several of the existing ones were conflicting.  High input costs, poor management practi...