Keep old names: Ridwan<\/p>\n
Anastashya Emmanuele, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The city administration should restore the names
\nof areas, which have been altered by real estate developers, to
\ntheir original names as a way of maintaining the city's history,
\nparticularly that of Betawi, a noted Betawi historian said.<\/p>\n
As the places indicate the history and culture of Betawi
\npeople, altering their names only creates difficulties in
\ntracking down the original Betawi heritage, Ridwan Saidi told a
\nseminar titled Restoration and Development of the Betawi Culture.<\/p>\n
The seminar is part of the three-day Betawi Culture Festival
\nat Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta, which will finish on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
\"I call on the city administration to maintain the old names
\nto help preserve Betawi culture,\" Ridwan said, giving an example
\nof the (Tanjung) Priuk area in North Jakarta, which still bears
\nits original name.<\/p>\n
\"The name 'Priuk' (pottery) derives from the fact that the
\nmajority of residents there used to be pot makers,\" Ridwan
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
He also urged the government to reconstruct the present Betawi
\nhistory, which he found misleading, but widely known among the
\ngeneral public and also taught in schools.<\/p>\n
He said as an example that there existed an impression that
\nBetawi culture only started during the period of Dutch
\ncolonialism. \"Other Betawi historians agree with that. But in
\nfact, I discovered that the culture had begun even before that
\nperiod,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
\"Fatahillah for example, according to my research, is not a
\nBetawi hero, as others have claimed,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
Ridwan, a Betawi native, said that Fatahillah was only able to
\nseize the then Jayakarta because the harbor city was poorly
\nguarded during his ambush.<\/p>\n
\"Fatahillah might be the hero of Cirebon people, but
\ndefinitely not the Betawis ... such a fact must be corrected
\nbecause it is misleading,\" he says as a warning to historians so
\nthat they are more prudent in positioning Fatahillah's role in
\nBetawi history.<\/p>\n
According to Ridwan, many aspects of the culture have been
\nmisinterpreted due to poor research and the vested interests of
\ncertain groups.<\/p>\n
\"One must be more resourceful in compiling history rather than
\njust sticking to library research. Apart from field research,
\nfolklore, which historians often refuse to explore, should be
\nconsidered as well,\" he commented.<\/p>\n
Also speaking in the seminar, was head of the city education
\noffice, Alwi Nurdin, who said that efforts had been made to
\npromote Betawi culture among students.<\/p>\n
Elementary to high school students are taught about Betawi
\nart, language and culture.<\/p>\n
Traditional Betawi martial arts and dances are practiced at
\nmany public schools in the city, and Betawi culture books are
\nprovided for student reference in libraries, Alwi told the
\nseminar, all in an effort to help preserve Betawi heritage.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/keep-old-names-ridwan-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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