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| Despite its unlikely location, the Taman Baca Masyarakat Kolong open-air reading park has been a hit due to a shortage of public libraries where kids from this area can read books outside school |
Singing and laughter briefly drown out the roar of cars under a Jakarta flyover, where an unlikely library for kids is thriving despite choking fumes -- and opposition from menacing gangsters.
There's no
quiet rule at this open-air reading park wedged between two lanes of traffic
just outside Indonesia's capital, a city of some 30 million that is notorious
for having some of the world's worst traffic jams.
Despite its
unlikely location, the Taman Baca Masyarakat Kolong has been a hit. A shortage
of public libraries means it's one of the few places where kids from this area
can read books outside school.
"We
wanted to bring books closer to the community," Devina Febrianti, a
library coordinator, told AFP as car horns blared accompanied by choking
exhaust fumes.
Several
years ago, the flyover in suburb Ciputat, part of Jakarta's greater
metropolitan area, was strewn with rubbish and roamed by intimidating street
thugs, Febrianti said.
But armed
with books and paint, local organisations set about transforming its
down-and-out reputation.
Artists
painted murals on the walls, installed planter boxes and a futsal pitch, and a
library with several dozen books was built on site.
Still, it
wasn't met with universal acclaim when it opened for business in 2016.
"In
the beginning not everyone was supportive when we came with books because there
were already other residents here," Febrianti said.
"We
asked for forgiveness first from the gangsters who were here and then the
'angkot' drivers," she added, referring to cheap and ubiquitous minivans
that provide public transport.
Winning
over parents afraid that their children would be kidnapped or hit by a car was
no mean feat, either.
'Smell,
rubbish, loud noises'
But
eventually, parents -- and even the street gangs -- warmed to the idea.
Today, it's
not uncommon to see up to 70 kids attending after-school sessions, where they
read stories with teachers, get help with homework, or sing and dance on
concrete covered with green Astroturf.
Bookshelves
are stuffed with hand-me-down kids books and some other less likely titles such
as "Accounting" and "Glossary of Marketing Terms".
Emilia
Clara, an 11-year-old student, said she liked reading stories, especially
fairytales, with friends.
"It
makes me happy and it's exciting," she told AFP in a brief interview,
before rushing back to join the other kids.
And it has
won over parents like Salmih Usia, a 41-year-old mother of two.
"This is
a great place for learning, creating and playing," she said.
Free
reading gardens, known as Taman Bacaan, have existed in various forms across
Indonesia for several decades.
They're
often run by NGOs or volunteer associations funded by public and private sector
contributions.
Some 80
reading parks have been established this part of the sprawling capital,
although there is only one located right below a flyover, Febrianti said.
In Hong
Kong, a small outdoor library that doubled as a children's playground was set
up under a flyover in the bustling city as part of research into how to better
use community spaces, according to a report in the South China Morning Post
last year.
Back in
Indonesia, library volunteers admit the street-side location poses some
potential health problems because of the fumes from traffic and the subsequent
impact on air quality.
"But
so far there haven't been any complaints about the smell, rubbish or loud
noises," Febrianti said, adding: "We use a sound system, which is
quite helpful for us to overcome the (noise) problem."
No quiet rules at Indonesia's flyover library.— AFP news agency (@AFP) 25 maart 2019
AFP's @harry_pearl takes a look under a Jakarta flyover where an unlikely library for kids is thriving despite choking fumes -- and opposition from gangstershttps://t.co/JprTqgw1Sj pic.twitter.com/q9NeiPN19x
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