Museum resurrects Chinese history
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Not many people know why June 22 was chosen as the capital's anniversary date, but fewer know who actually built the original city.
As Jakarta celebrates its 478th anniversary this year, the Jakarta Historical Museum on Jl. Taman Fatahillah in Kota, known popularly as Fatahillah Museum, is exhibiting old documents and artifacts from Malay-Chinese history.
The historical accounts started after Fatahillah, also known as Faletehan, was instructed by the king of Cirebon, West Java, to invade Jakarta on June 22 in the early part of the 16th century, killed many of the Betawi people (original Jakarta residents) in the attack, and made it an open port city.
"The museum understands that Jakartans are not familiar with historical accounts of its communities.
"That's why this year we are focusing on Malay-Chinese history to give more understanding on how the Chinese interacted with other communities at that time and that Chinese people have also contributed a lot in shaping the city's history," Sri Kusumawati, the museum's head of exhibitions and public education, explained on Monday.
Besides the display of old ceramics and other historical Chinese artifacts from January until December, the museum has been presenting plays as a popular way to attract visitors to learn more about Malay-Chinese history.
Kusumawati cited the story of Souw Siauw Tjiang, a wealthy and generous merchant who lived in the 19th century on what was then Jl. Patokean (literally meaning the street of merchants), which is now named Jl. Perniagaan (the street of trading), in West Jakarta.
"Siauw Tjiang is a member of the Souw family, who was famous for both being rich and generous," she explained.
According to literature, Siauw Tjiang was one of the few who was awarded a titular rank of lieutenant from the Dutch Colonial administration in Batavia in May 1877 for his contribution in setting up schools for native children, taking care of poor tenants, and contributing food and building materials when a serious fire damaged his neighborhood.
Kusumawati said that the museum was preparing to hold a theatrical performance on Aug. 21 about the life of the Souw family.
To handle the program, the museum has chosen event organizer ACP Communication to prepare the performances.
The director of ACP Communication, Inanti Diran, said that the most difficult thing about preparing such plays was to compile historical sources to formulate short scenarios with minimum dialog.
"We want people to feel the atmosphere of colonial times. Therefore we need to be really careful in looking for details of the story," she said.
To support the details, she said that she would be looking for foreigners to cast either as the Dutch or the Chinese people.
"We invited expatriates to get involved in the play, they're so enthusiastic to join us," she said, adding that she had already auditioned 15 foreigners.
The play is one of the series of historical performances, which focuses on Malay-Chinese theme, that the museum had formulated for over a year.
In April, the museum had presented a play titled Oey Tambasia, which tells the story of a handsome and rich Chinese man who liked to kidnap women. Oey was finally hung by the Dutch colonial authorities in the compound of the administrative office.
"The programs are not merely to entertain people, but also a way to attract people to visit the museum and introduce them to history in a popular way," Kusumawati said. (006)