Heritage Corner

The monthly discussion of the Pan-Sumatra Network for Heritage Conservation (Pansumnet) on 29 December 2021 was about the efforts of Rapanie Igama, a library expert,  to save the Ulu alphabet in the South of Sumatra. When I asked how many local languages, dialects, and alphabets exist in his area, the answer is astonishing: more than 70 dialects. And that is only in one province or area of South Sumatra!  It was more astonishing when other language experts, Sarwit Sartono from the University of Bengkulu and Prof. Dr. Uli Kozok from Hawaii also joined and enlighten the audience about the Ulu alphabets. Those alphabets are actually the doors to much local wisdom about daily life that are actual now such as environmental issues, agriculture, and many more. It is a pity that very few people left who can understand the language and the content.  We discussed a lot about the digitalization of the alphabet but finally, we drew a conclusion that digitalization is not only about u...

I am humbled to get involved in multi-year cooperation (2018-2021) between Indonesia and the Netherlands to organize a series of training about museum management.  The involved organizations are the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia. From the Netherlands is the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Reinwardt Academie, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta.  The previous training took place in Yogyakarta and Jakarta (2018), Semarang and Malang (2019). Unfortunately, the covid19 pandemic has blown away the plan to organize two training in 2020. So here we are at the end of 2021 with two hybrid training (live and online). The hybrid training takes place in Bandung between 29 November-3 December 2021.  The 'live' participants are 50 representatives of museums from all over Indonesia. The 'online' participants are 12 representatives.  The speakers are 6 museum experts from Indonesia and 4 museum ex...

After two workshops in Muntok (2018) and Banjarmasin (2019), and almost 2 years working together to compile the lessons learned, finally this week we can launch the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Quick Scan Method, Handbook for Indonesia University Lecturers. 

 A lot of cities and towns in the world have a Chinese quarter, also in Sumatra. It is part of an urban morphology that is fascinating to discover. In Sumatra, some Chinese quarters are vivid and alive, some are dying or even almost disappear.  During the monthly discussion of Pansumnet, we are going to listen to the stories about the Chinese Quarter of Labuan Deli in Medan and Footprints of the Chinese Quarter along the Jantan River in Siak (it was burned in 2018 that is why only has the footprints).  Discussion is in Bahasa Indonesia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pecinan Di Labuan Deli Medan dan Jejak Pecinan di Tepian Sungai Jantan, Siak Sri Inderapura Rabu, 24 November 2021 19.00-21.00 WIB Pembicara: Edy Saputra (Sukarelawan Beranda Warisan Sumatra, Medan) Ichwanul Insan (Kepala Balai Prasarana Permukiman Wilayah Propinsi Riau, Direktorat Jendral Cipta Karya, Kementrian PUPR) Moderator: Suwito Wu (Ketua Heritage of Tionghoa, Bangka- HETIKA) Media: Zoom Cloud Meeting dan Facebook L...

Place-Making for Historical Buildings in Jakarta  November 17, 2021 10.00-12.00 CET or 16.00-18.00 WIB Discussion is in English Speaker Ar. Yacobus Gatot Surarjo (Architect MBloc and Pos Bloc, Jakarta)    RSVP via e-mail  heritage@idn-lc.nl Join automatically via Zoom or login via the website of Zoom with Meeting ID: 932 9370 2320 and Password: 416776 Organized by Heritage hands-on, Indonesian Diaspora Network the Netherlands (IDN-NL), and IDN Liveable Cities (IDN-LC). Contact Hasti Tarekat Dipowijoyo heritage@idn-lc.nl www.heritage-hands-on.org www.idn-lc.nl P lace-Making for Historical Buildings in Jakarta Batavia (current Jakarta) has been built by the Netherlands-Indies Government since 1619 started from the north part and over the centuries expanded to the south part. Residences, public facilities, defense structures, offices, and warehouses were built as witnesses of flourishing economic development during the colonial era. The public facility included a po...

Defining Industrial Heritage in Asia- subjugation, and development: the Case Study of Indonesia. The summary of my views about the industrial heritage movement in Indonesia should have more balance as follow: Balance in interpretation, storyline, narratives.  Between technology and architecture, in times of peace and progress with the industry in times of war and occupation that is invisible, concealed, forgotten, repressed,  or erased. Balance in periods and geographical representations.   Between historical facts from the past with rising and fall of the industry at present days.  Between local, national, regional, and international contexts. Balance in values and valorization.  Between passing the heritage spirit and accommodating the fun elements.  Between temporary and short-term programs (educative recreational) and permanent and long-term programs (educative scientifically).

In English, it is called contested heritage. In Dutch, it is called beladen erfgoed. In Indonesian, it is called pusaka konflik , at least by Sylvia Agustina, a university teacher from Banda Aceh who graduated from USA and Singapore. Pusaka konflik is not much addressed yet in Indonesia. This webinar revealed stories from the field that is known to be tough in history with natural disasters and political turmoil: Banda Aceh. Sylvia has been trying to map potentials of contested heritage in the city where she lives and works especially those that relate to the Tsunami in December 2004 and a long battle of GAM ( Gerakan Aceh Merdeka -Free Aceh Movement) with the military of the Republic of Indonesia. I think what Sylvia has been doing is an essential step for the local Acehnese to learn more about themselves. The gigantic natural disaster and the political turmoil were beyond words to describe, but each local Acehnese must have opinions and experiences about them and those are very valu...

The plantation history of Indonesia is one of the most fascinating histories for me because it embraces many elements: industry, economy, social, culture, migration, globalization, and I can add more and more angles.  If I relate it to the shared history between Indonesia and the Netherlands, the plantation history as if still alive because I could find many traces in both countries.  The last webinar about shared history was about the plantation history at the Eastcoast of Sumatra (current North Sumatra). Indonesia was represented by Museum Perkebunan Indonesia-Musperin (the Indonesian Plantation Museum) in Medan. The speaker, Sordjai Kartasasmita is one of the founding fathers of the plantation industry in Indonesia and the initiator of the musea (yes, Musperin has two musea).  When I searched the traces in the Netherlands, I found quite a number of essential traces. The multinational Deli Maatschappij is now Deli Home. Villa's of the plantation pioneers are still intac...

Indonesia and the Netherlands have been building a bridge of understanding for some time especially for themes of shared history and shared heritage. The truth is that both sides have their own angles which are completely logical. As a cultural heritage professional, I would love to see both angles. That should be ideal. The reality is that ideal is difficult to achieve. So every time I have to face the reality, I accept that the ideal approach would never be achieved or presented. The highest expectation that I could have is that both sides exchange their angles. I can live with it. Shared history and shared heritage are celebrated or contemplated differently in Indonesia and the Netherlands as long as I can observe as a practitioner in the field in both countries. I save more details about my opinion for other opportunities, but what I would like to say is that difference makes this job attractive for me. I have been doing this job for almost three decades and it is getting more and ...

Exchanging thoughts and ideas with the exhibition team of Museum Sophiahof in Den Haag in a constructive discussion on 6 October 2021 related to their exhibition about shared history with Indonesia, opened in February next year.  A positive initiative of Museum Sophiahof to communicate more and be open with related stakeholders. Indonesia and the Netherlands have shared history and communication helps to be open to the other side of the history.  (Photo: Max Meijer)

On Friday 1 October 2021, I became a panel member for the session about Industrial Heritage of Europe presented by Hildebrand de Boer, Board Member of ERIH (European of Industrial Heritage), and several more positions in industrial heritage. The basic idea of his presentation was the development of the industrial heritage movement in Europe since his involvement in the 1970s. He divided the development into three phases: validation, sensitization, and celebration.  ERIH (European of Industrial Heritage) is one of the impressive results of the development and it is developing until now. Check this out for details  https://www.erih.net/ As a panelist, I responded that if the industrial heritage movement in Asia inspired us to develop similar routes, we should at least consider three things: selection strategies, patterns of justification, and interpretative approaches, as Soyez, D. (2009) stated in Europeanizing Industrial Heritage in Europe: Addressing Its Transboundary and Dar...

There is a positive movement in Indonesia for at least two decades. It is a movement to dig tangible and intangible localities: from local materials, local agriculture, to local traditions in a broad sense. Fithrorozi Belitong is one of the leading actors in the locality movement. He has been reviving and keeping the local language of Belitung alive. He writes books, organizes a youth group, and publishes e-flyers to raise awareness of identity through local language and literature. Indonesia needs more of Fithrorozi’s. The webinar is in Bahasa Indonesia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LITERASI ASAL MUASAL PULAU SUMATRA Menggali Ilmu dari Tradisi Lisan Para Orang Tua Rabu, 29 September 2021 Waktu: 19.00-21.00 WIB Pembicara: Fithrorozi (Komunitas Telinsong Budaya, Belitung) Moderator: Arry Aditsya Yoga (Belitong Geopark Youth Community) Media: Zoom Cloud Meeting dan Facebook Live Streaming (Link Zoom akan dishare melalui email sehari sebelum acara) Live Streaming di Facebook Page BWS: https://www.faceb...

I often experience a fascinating situation when I discover that some people in Indonesia and the Netherlands are busy with the same thing while they do not know each other and have no contact whatsoever about the existence of the other party.  An example is the history of the tobacco industry.  The Indonesian Plantation Museums (yes, two museums!) in Medan are busy with establishing the museums and one of the content is the tobacco history in Deli, the East Coast of Sumatra. And then I visited the Nijkerk Museum, they told exactly the same thing: tobacco history, including relations with the tobacco history from Deli in the past.  Or the restoration of the Fort van den Bosch in Ngawi, East Java, by the Indonesians while I was biking regularly to the legacy of Johannes van den Bosch in the Province of Drenthe with museums, houses, and much more tangible and intangible heritage.  Historical connections are to find out later, but we have enough hints to understand that ...

What is the relation between heritage and climate change? The relation is strong and a lot. Take an example of the protected national parks in Indonesia that go through deforestation now. Or the machine textiles production that cost a lot of water and energy. We can go on and go on with examples. This time, Sandra Niessen, an expert on the traditional textiles of Batak (North Sumatra), will talk about three themes that pertain to textile heritage and climate: Craft and Culture: systems of meaning vs emphasis on the visual, Craft and Economics: a double-edged sword, Locality, and Craft: implications of trade. 

Between 8-12 August 2021, I became one of the judges for a competition to design a museum for the birth house of Soekarno in Kampung Peneleh, Surabaya. The competition was organized by Tata Matra Indonesia and  Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Kota Surabaya (Agency for Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Surabaya). The aim was to raise awareness about heroism amongst the youth.  The other judges were Prof. Dr. Ir, Johan Silas, Ir. Dadoes Sumarwanto MArch., Prof.Dr. Purnawan Basundoro S.S. M.Hum., Zaky Umara ST. MALA, and Dimas Nugroho.  All participants were architecture students or graduates so they used architectural approaches with ideas about how a museum should look like.  Despite the fact that most submissions were impressive, I thought it should be better if students and graduates from museum studies participate, too. This would strengthen the ideas and be also fairer to the museum's professionalism. It is not everyone can create a proper museum. Nevert...

  Cindy Shandoval from Siak is an archaeologist and works as a government officer in Siak, South Sumatra, but her passion for heritage is beyond her formal position. She thinks that awareness about heritage conservation is still limited amongst academicians and professionals. She wants to change that. She wants to raise awareness amongst the general public, locals, and especially the youth. For that mission, she established an organization called Heritage Hero. During the monthly discussion of Pansumnet, Cindy shared her efforts to approach the youth through various ways, but mainly through positive infiltrations to the existing activities and inserting heritage items. Heritage items in the photography club, bicycle club, hiking club, cooking club, and even gardening club. Smart strategy.  In her four years of experience, she found that her strategy starts to work. More and more youth are interested in the heritage of Siak. One lesson learned for me is that we should approac...

The latest edition of ANIH Bulletin (Asian Network for Industrial Heritage) has been published. I am thankful for the contributions of Hildebrand P.G. de Boer and Wid Widoyoko from the Netherlands. This was my effort to connect industrial heritage activities in Asia and Europe. It is always good to communicate and to exchange information. It is inspiring, and stimulating, especially for industrial heritage practitioners in Indonesia. Blurring Boundaries in Europe – Industrial Culture on the Move by Hildebrand P.G. de Boer. Book Review about Coal Mine Railway in Dutch East India/Indonesia by W Widoyoko Please click the link here for more details: https://anih.culture.tw/index/en-us/anihbulletins

Pan-Sumatra Network presents Dr. Kuswandi,  Water Resources and Risk Disaster Engineer,  in the monthly discussion of June who will share his research about the drainage system in Medan since 1921. It was underground drainage with consideration about the environment, the river flows in the city, hydrologic pattern, the needs of urban utility, and society's behaviors.  It is a pity that this huge and valuable investment during the Dutch-Indies period   was not well maintained and lost its function.  Is there any possibility to recover it for the current development? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Diskusi Bulanan Pansumnet SISTEM DRAINASE KOTA MEDAN 1921  Konsep Perancangan Mitigasi Kota Terhadap Genangan dan Pencemaran Lingkungan Narasumber: Dr. Kuswandi, S.T., M.T Water Resources and Risk Disaster Engineer Fakultas Teknik Sipil, Institut Teknologi Medan (ITM) Moderator: Yulianto Qin Dosen Prodi Arsitektur Universitas Katolik St. Thomas Medan Rabu, 23 Juni 2021 Jam 1...

I will share the views when a birthplace house is turned into a museum, what should be considered? It is a special house because it is about the founding father of Indonesia, Soekarno. The webinar is in Bahasa Indonesia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Webinar Krearture Vol.4 Rumah Kelahiran Bung Karno Pembicara: 1. Hasti Tarekat - Heritage hands-on, Belanda 2. Prof. Dr. Purnawan Basunduro SS, M.Hum - Ketua Masyarakat Sejarah Indonesia 3. Hermawan Dasmanto - Ara Studio (@ara.studio.id) Streaming via Zoom : Senin, 21 Juni 2021 13:00 WIB Pendaftaran: https://bit.ly/3zqHAyd

  Since seceral weeks, I have been translating the book of Obbe Norbruis, Architectuur in de Archipel, 150 Architecten in Nederlands Indië en Indonesië, Hun Gebouwen, Architectuur, en Stijlinvloeden (Architecture in the Archipelago, 150 Architects in the Dutch-Indies and Indonesia, Their Buildings, Architecture, and Style Influence). Involving in Indonesia's cultural heritage conservation efforts, especially about the historical buildings from the Colonial period, I realize how much this book will be beneficial for the Indonesians. Interests and attentions about the historical buildings increase in the last few decades, the researchers and the general public need more and more references. It is time to have a refreshing source of information, and this book is one of them.  Obbe Norbruis came with a fresh look at Indonesia's historical buildings and classified them based on his own knowledge and observation. The result is a new and brave approach. A classification of the histo...

For a heritage movement that is relatively new like in Indonesia, an investment in human resources is one of the strategic approaches. It will deliver human resources who understand correctly why heritage is important for the development of a country. It will also ensure that the heritage movement will last longer and more sustainable.  The investment could be in any form: traineeship, internship, formal and informal education, courses, and a lot of site visits and traveling. I have been doing all of those methods from the very beginning of my heritage endeavor, for example in Sumatra through Sumatra Heritage Trust, and in Indonesia in general through my consulting bureau.  That is also the reason why I am enthusiastic to support in any possible ways for the young colleagues who visit the Netherlands to learn more about heritage, directly or indirectly. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, guests came regularly. During the pandemic in 2021, so far I only received one guest, that was ...

728th Anniversary of Surabaya is celebrated by UNIVERSITAS CIPUTRA and SURABAYA HERITAGE SOCIETY. 31 May 2021 19:00 – 20:30 WIB Join Zoom Meeting zoom.us/j/99118960286 ?… Meeting ID: 991 1896 0286 Passcode: 519899 YouTube : youtu.be/dOkIPZz2XKg This is the announcement from the organizers in Surabaya in Bahasa: Menjamboet Oelang Tahoen Kota Soerabaja ke 728, Program Stoedi Arsitektoer – UNIVERSITAS CIPUTRA dan SURABAYA HERITAGE SOCIETY Dengen bangga menjadjiken Serial Webinar Boelanan, bertadjoek TANDJOENG PERAK KAPAL E KOBONG “Monggo Menjimak, Pakar2 Heritage Pada Ngomong” SERIAL KE SATOE “BELADJAR DARI TETANGGA” Njang aken bitjara : Hasti Tarekat (Heritage Hands-on Amsterdam) "Djedjak-djedjak Indonesia di kota Amsterdam” Lya Dewi Anggraini (Arsitektoer- Interior Universitas Ciputra) A Journey from Traditional Machiya in Kyoto to the Brick Red House in Yokohama, Japan.

Starting today I join a seven months online training called Erfgoedparticipatie-lab (the Heritage Participation Lab) organized by Erfgoed Academie (Heritage Academy) in the Netherlands. This training aims to support the implementation of the Faro Convention . It means to encourage a sense of belonging of heritage and participation of the European society in heritage practices.  I am excited to join the training because it is a relatively new network for me, and it is about the heritage of Europe, especially the Netherlands.  (Picture: Erfgoedacademie)

I moved to Medan, North Sumatra (from Bandung) in 1997, and a year later on 29 April, together with seven Medan'ers, we established Sumatra Heritage Trust or Badan Warisan Sumatra (BWS). Today the organization exists for 23 years with a new Indonesian name (Beranda Warisan Sumatra-BWS), a new logo, and a new website.  The current Board's members who are younger than the Founders decided that the organization needs to reborn with a new spirit and a more actual appearance. I agreed and supported the idea. The vision and mission of the organization stay. I think this is a healthy dynamic of the regeneration process.  The 23rd Anniversary is celebrated cheerfully in Medan itself, but especially online, during this Covid19 pandemic. BWS organizes a seminar about regulations of heritage, a workshop about archives, and a monthly period of virtual programs. Glad to see the enthusiasm and creativity of the younger generation of the BWS's leadership. I am thankful that the leadership...