Museum to stage colonial drama

JAKARTA: Museum Sejarah Jakarta will perform a theatrical reconstruction of history titled, Stadhuis 1629: a historical reconstruction, on Aug. 4.

A media release from the Museum stated on Friday that the drama, which would be featured in all museums of Jakarta, was a true love story between a Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) soldier and a girl, which ended tragically.

The VOC was a trading company during the Dutch colonial era, which had a monopoly in Indonesia from 1602 to 1799.

The historical drama, which will be the first of its kind in Indonesia, will also feature Jan Pieterszoon Coon, the founder of Jakarta, members of the court council and VOC troops.

It is said that most of the actors were selected from among foreigners living in Jakarta.

The performance is aimed at promoting museums to the public, who mostly regard them as boring places.

"I think this is an interesting love story as the audience can be entertained as well as learning a lesson from history," said Tinia Budiati, head of the Museum Sejarah Jakarta. --JP