Diponegoro story comes alive at museum<\/p>\n
Leony Aurora, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Most Indonesians remember Javanese prince Diponegoro as a
\nnational hero who led a war on horseback against the Dutch
\ncolonizers in Yogyakarta from 1825 to 1830.<\/p>\n
But few recall the crux of the story -- that Diponegoro was
\ntricked into his arrest by the Dutch. Still fewer know he spent
\nthree weeks imprisoned in old Batavia's Stadhuis, or City Hall,
\nnow the Jakarta Historical Museum on Jl. Taman Fatahillah in West
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the museum staged a play about this part of the
\nDiponegoro story, covering his arrest in Kedu, Central Java, to
\nthe time he left Jakarta in exile.<\/p>\n
\"We wanted to attract more people to the museum,\" said museum
\nhead Tinia Budiati.<\/p>\n
The epic four-act play involved some 70 foreigners and
\nIndonesians. All wore period costume -- blue uniforms and black
\nboots for Dutch soldiers and white cloaks and turbans for
\nDiponegoro and his followers.<\/p>\n
Diponegoro was the son of Sultan Hamengkubuwono III, the ruler
\nof Yogyakarta. Furious after the Dutch took away his land in
\n1825, the prince left the palace and began a guerrilla war
\nagainst the colonizers, with nobles, clerics and peasants joining
\nhis side.<\/p>\n
At 10 a.m. on Sunday, visitors of the museum were transported
\nback to 1830s Remo Kamal in Central Java. In February 1830, tired
\nof fighting, Diponegoro agreed to meet with Dutch general de Kock
\nto negotiate peace under a guarantee he would not be harmed.<\/p>\n
As it was the Muslim fasting month, Diponegoro and his
\nentourage then went to Magelang in Central Java to await the
\npassing of hari raya, after which they would resume negotiations.<\/p>\n
In this scene, the audience were invited to take part in the
\nplay, cheering the hero as he came riding in on his horse.<\/p>\n
But among the cheers, some in the crowd were heard to comment:
\n\"How come Diponegoro is so small?\" The actor who played the part,
\nMuhammad Haerudin, was about 1.6 meters tall.<\/p>\n
\"Noblemen (of the time) were indeed small,\" Tinia said,
\n\"because they often fasted and meditated.\" Although they were not
\nbig or burly, people respected them as they radiated charisma,
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
On March 28, 1830, Diponegoro rode alone to the Dutch Kedu
\nresidency, as earlier agreed, despite warnings from clerics he
\nmight be walking into a trap.<\/p>\n
Their premonitions came true when the Dutch arrested the
\nprince after the tough negotiations broke down. Diponegoro was
\ntaken to Batavia before he was exiled in Manado. Afterwards, he
\nwas moved to Makassar, where he died in 1855.<\/p>\n
\"Diponegoro was kept on the second floor (of the Stadhuis),
\nnot the dungeon, because he was a nobleman,\" Tinia said.<\/p>\n
Visitors were taken to the room where the prince and his
\nentourage were confined. A crowd of about 150 people followed the
\nstory to the end, although many scenes took place in front of the
\nmuseum under the burning sun.<\/p>\n
Despite the sometimes stuttered dialogue and amateur acting,
\nthe play ended at 1 p.m. with warm applause.<\/p>\n
\"None of the actors were paid,\" Tinia said. The foreign actors
\nare employees of the English Education Centre, while the
\nIndonesians belong to the Krisnadwipayana University theater.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe next year we'll put on (a play about) Cut Nyak Dien,
\nwho was also once imprisoned here,\" Tinia said, referring to a
\nfamous Acehnese heroine.<\/p>\n
Diponegoro was the third historical reenactment organized by
\nthe museum. It followed Batavia 1629 in 2002 and Oentoeng: A
\nHistorical Reconstruction last year. Visitors only had to pay the
\nmuseum fee of Rp 2,000 (21 U.S. cents) to witness all the acts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/diponegoro-story-comes-alive-at-museum-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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