Museum holds programs to lure more visitors<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The small number of visitors to the Jakarta History Museum,
\npopularly known to locals as Fatahillah Museum, has encouraged
\nthe museum authorities to stage a number programs to lure more
\npeople to visit the impressive two-story building located at Jl.
\nFatahillah 1, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The objective (of the programs) is to attract more people,
\nparticularly students, to come and visit the museum,\" said the
\nmuseum's director, Tinia Budiati, on Monday.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that the Jakarta History Museum is among the
\nmost visited museums in the city, Tinia is still not satisfied
\nwith visitor numbers.<\/p>\n
Last year, a total of 46,872 people visited the museum, which
\nwas a 20 percent increase over the number of visitors in 2000
\n(38,869) and 1999 (29,000).<\/p>\n
The museum management said students and foreign tourists made
\nup the majority of the visitors with 45 percent and 35 percent
\nrespectively. The remaining 20 percent consisted of local
\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
Tinia expressed the hope that the museum could enhance its
\npresence among locals through the programs rather than making
\nthem digest copious quantities of dry, historical information.<\/p>\n
\"Since most Indonesians are not familiar with museums, we need
\nto provide a light and entertaining introduction to museums,\" she
\nsaid. \"By watching entertaining programs, visitors will realize
\nthat museums are also alternative places to relax.\"<\/p>\n
The Jakarta History Museum will stage fun bike rallies on May
\n18 and May 19 in which the participants will have the opportunity
\nof visiting several other nearby museums, including the Maritime
\nMuseum, Museum of Fine Arts, Puppet Museum and Ceramics museum.<\/p>\n
On the same days, the museum will also stage a folklore
\nfestival featuring the reciting of popular local legends and
\nmyths including Si Pitung, Si Jampang, Aisyah Macan Marunda,
\nBuaya Buntung, Lagoa, Tete Jongker and Tambasia.<\/p>\n
Another program is the national art festival at the museum,
\nwhich will run from March 10 to Dec. 22, and will feature musical
\nand dance performances from several provinces, including West
\nJava, Bali, North Sulawesi, Central Java and West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"This festival is also a part of the campaign to recognize
\nthat Jakarta is a multicultural city inhabited by people from
\ndifferent cultures, races and religions,\" Tinia said.<\/p>\n
It is widely suspected that the public's lack of interest in
\nvisiting museums is partly due to the museums' poor management,
\nwhich largely accounts for the bad service provided to visitors
\nand the poor performance of the museums.<\/p>\n
Many museums in the capital are in a poor condition due to a
\nlack of funds for the renovation and maintenance of the
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
In total, there are more than 60 museums here. Only 10 of the
\nmuseums are managed by the city administration while the rest are
\nrun by foundations and private individuals.<\/p>\n
The administration has allocated only Rp 2 billion
\n(US$211,640) from the 2002 city budget to finance the renovation
\nand management of its museums.<\/p>\n
Construction of the Jakarta History Museum was completed on
\nJan. 25, 1707. During the Dutch colonial days, the building
\nserved as the city hall as well as housing the district court. It
\nalso served at one stage as the city prison.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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