Guess What? Tamalia Alisyahbana

Guess What? Tamalia Alisyahbana

Nothing makes Tamalia Alisyahbana happier than welcoming
junior guests at the newly renovated National Archive Building in
downtown Jakarta.

Tamalia, executive director of the National Archive, said she
wanted to create a child-friendly environment and to throw open
the building to school students.

"I was very touched to see hundreds of elementary school kids
come to a recent exhibition on Indonesia-German relations," said
Tamalia during a ceramic exhibition last week.

She said children must be introduced to their culture,
including the arts, music and historical buildings in their early
years.

"Museums should not appear to be haunted buildings for
children," said Tamalia, a daughter of noted literary figure, the
late Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana.

To attract more school students to the archive, she and her
staff plan to launch special programs for children.

"We're still thinking about the best programs for them. But
certainly we need support from the community and, of course,
business." (raw)