Museums empty out with mall boom in capital<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It would be nice if there were a few good museums in Jakarta, so
\nparents could take their children on the weekend and show them
\nthat Disneyland is not the height of civilization and Lycra is
\nnot the end all and be all in the realm of clothing.<\/p>\n
When it comes to visiting the few museums Jakarta does have,
\nthere are plenty of problems. Now, if you want to hit the mall,
\nthe only problem you will face is deciding which of the many,
\nmany malls in the city you wish to visit.<\/p>\n
In a survey conducted by the Jakarta administration, 50
\npercent of the 868 respondents said they regularly went to malls
\non the weekend. Only 5 percent of respondents said they ever
\nvisited museums or historic sites on weekends.<\/p>\n
Another 34 percent said they went to parks and other
\nrecreational sites, while 29 percent responded that they chose to
\nremain at home on the weekend.<\/p>\n
But Jakartans are not really to blame for their questionable
\ntaste in leisure activities.<\/p>\n
Sixty-four percent of the same respondents said they would
\nvisit museums more frequently if the quality of Jakarta's museums
\nimproved.<\/p>\n
The city administration lists 20 public museums throughout
\nJakarta, with the Jakarta Historical Museum and the National
\nMonument (Monas) Museum the most popular among survey
\nrespondents, most of whom were students.<\/p>\n
Many of the listed museums are unpopular to the point where it
\nwould take an exhaustive search to find someone who has heard of
\nthem, much less made a visit. For example, for most Jakartans the
\nM.H. Thamrin Museum does not exist. Where is it located? What
\nkind of collection does it have? But it is among the 20 public
\nmuseums listed by the administration. For your information, the
\nmuseum can be found on Jl. Kenari in Kramat, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The head of the Jakarta Cultural and Museum Agency, Aurora
\nTambunan, is aware of these problems and does not blame
\nJakartans.<\/p>\n
\"We have done a lot of things like printing brochures and
\noffering programs,\" she said at a workshop last week. \"But
\napparently, our target audiences have not read the brochures.\"<\/p>\n
The only conclusion she could reach was that the agency's
\nefforts were ineffective and required some fixing.<\/p>\n
Presenting the results of the survey to dozens of city
\nofficials and other guests, Aurora highlighted a number of
\ncomments on the current museum situation.<\/p>\n
The respondents found much to criticize, from museums'
\ninadequate facilities and limited collections, to a lack of
\ninformation of the displayed pieces and poor customer service.<\/p>\n
Very few museums offer regular program to attract visitors.
\nAnd some of the museums that do have programs often fail to let
\npeople know about them.<\/p>\n
The Textile Museum in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, for
\nexample, has offered a number of interesting programs, such as an
\nexhibition of Madurese batik and Lampung cloth, which it held
\nthis year in cooperation with a number of private collectors.<\/p>\n
However, the museum does not have adequate facilities or
\nqualified staff to arrange the exhibitions. Consequently, first-
\ntime visitors will think twice about making a second trip to the
\nmuseum, which is located near Tanah Abang market and a public
\nminivan terminal.<\/p>\n
Other museums are even worse. The Maritime Museum in North
\nJakarta faces the perpetual problem of its remote location, which
\nhampers all efforts to get more people to the museum.<\/p>\n
The front yard is taken up by a messy market and the anchors
\non the side of the gates are used by vendors to display their
\nwares, putting off potential visitors who might otherwise have
\nentered the building.<\/p>\n
The most popular museum in the city is the Jakarta Historical
\nMuseum, or Fatahillah Museum, in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Though the collection is limited, the head of the museum,
\nTinia Budiati, has put together several attractive programs like
\na night tour of the underground prison at the building that
\nhouses the museum.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years, Tinia's efforts have drawn young
\npeople, students and professionals to visit the museum come and
\nlearn more about their city and its past.<\/p>\n
Her and her staff's successful efforts prove that not all
\nJakartans are indifferent to history, culture and the arts.<\/p>\n
Although we cannot expect Jakartans to be like Europeans, we
\ncan surely expect to see good museums receive a decent number of
\nvisitors.<\/p>",
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