They might look like little more than old bricks and ruins, but these fortifications are the silent witnesses to the country’s centuries-old journey to independence.
Long forgotten and neglected, the forts have lost their attraction today as many of us seem to regard them merely as old constructions with little function.
Perhaps that’s true — that they can’t really function anymore — but it’s the stories embedded within their bricks that actually make them precious.
Among the stories are ones that take us back to the Java and Sumatra of 300 years ago, where fortifications were at the heart of trade conflicts and territorial fights.
These periods saw how the functions of most fortifications shifted from just trading posts equipped with storehouses, offices and residences, into bases of defense and territorial expansion.
The shift in functionality was proof of the growing power of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which maintained strategic posts in Java and Sumatra.
Urgently seeking to secure its assets, expand its territory and maintain its domination, the VOC built more fortifications, including in Bandung, West Java, in the wake of the First World War. All have a significant place in history for Indonesians, as the fortifications are the unspoken witnesses of their struggles against the Dutch in gaining independence.
“We can actually learn a lot about our history from the fortifications,” says Nadia Purwestri, research coordinator for the Center for Architecture Documentation (PDA).
“[However] we never realized this because we weren’t aware of their existence in the first place.”
So the PDA and its Dutch counterpart, Paaschier Architects and Consultant (PAC), wish to raise the people’s consciousness with the ongoing exhibition on Indonesia’s fortifications at the National Museum.
Titled “Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights”, the exhibition contains the comprehensive documentation on fortifications on both islands, capturing our attention as we find out that Indonesia has hundreds of such bygone splendors.
“We want to make these fortifications as part of the country’s history through this exhibition,” Nadia says.
“Most people today have no idea they can find fortifications in their surroundings.”
In particular Jakartans, she adds, who don’t know there are ruins of forts in North Jakarta’s Old Town.
The team defines fortifications as defense structures that come in various types, including stockades, blockhouses, bunkers, pillboxes, city walls, defense caves and military base camps.
(JP/J. Adiguna)
In addition, Nadia goes on, there are also traditional fortifications such as moats and land piles. The fortifications, she says, include those built by the Dutch, British, Spanish and Portuguese.
The PDA and the PAC are holding the exhibition as part of their project to document fortifications across the country — identifying their types, conditions and damage.
“The project is also set to provide the government, in this case the Culture and Tourism Ministry, with a database for the preservation of fortifications,” Nadia says of the project that began in 2007.
This exhibition is the second since last year that highlights fortifications in the eastern part of Indonesia: Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua and Papua.
Next year, Nadia says, a third exhibition will be held to showcase the team’s documentation of fortifications in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Bali.
“Our project is in three stages,” she says.
“In the first stage, we are documenting fortifications in the eastern part of Indonesia, the second in the western part, and the third in the central part.”
For the first stage, Nadia’s team recorded 141 fortifications, while they found 177 in the second stage in Java and Sumatra. The third stage is still underway.
“We found hundreds of fortifications, but the ones we’ve showcased in the exhibitions are the special ones,” Nadia says.
This means, she points out, the fortifications must meet certain criteria. “We pick those that are already famous in our history.”
Nadia then cites the magnificent Marlborough Fort in Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Vanderburg Fort in Yogyakarta as among those highlighted this time around.
The second type of fortification chosen are those with unique or unusual structures, either pentagonal or round, she adds.
“The Martello Fort on Bidadari Island [in Jakarta’s Thousand Islands] is an example of that round shape. It’s interesting for people to know about it, right?” Nadia says, adding forts that are in good condition also fit the team’s criteria for the exhibition.
The team also highlighted fortifications that are still in use today, either as prisons, amusement hubs or offices.
“We wish to find out whether other fortifications might have similar prospects for being developed,” Nadia says.
“As we know, most of these fortifications are located in the middle of growing areas or big cities, so they’re threatened by development.”
Therefore, as Nadia points out, efforts must be made to use the fortifications, either as tourism sites or as commercial buildings, just so they can be around us just that little bit longer, as precious heritage to remind us of the country’s journey to independence.
Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights
Runs through Dec. 10 at Galeri Kaca, National Museum
Jl. Merdeka Barat No. 12
Central Jakarta
Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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