Hi everybody. I hope you are fine. You should be happy living your life I want to tell you the places I've been. This place I visited in 2017. I went with my friend. I thought it was a very pleasant museum visit. I have been fond of photo exhibitions for a long time. I often get goosebumps when I see journalists' photos. There are stories from photos taken by journalists. I will tell you about this museum.
The photos on the first floor, we can see the condition of Jakarta. There is a photo at the beginning of Indonesia's independence. The new thing I know is that through this building, information about independent Indonesia is spread throughout the world. This building is a witness if Indonesia is independent in the eyes of the world.
I think it makes sense that this building has a history. Apart from that, these buildings are like Dutch colonialism. This building is a witness to Indonesia's independence. Through this building, the world can hear that Indonesia is already independent. Some of the things that witness the history of independent Indonesia are still neatly arranged here. This building has a design and architecture in the Dutch style. This building is located on the street between 59, Pasar Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia.
You need to know, if this place is the first photography museum in Indonesia. But it seems I was wrong, the museum is the first photography museum in Southeast Asia. The photo on the 1st floor contains photos from 1945 - 1950. Visitors can see the seconds of Indonesia's independence. The photos on the first floor are only owned by this museum. This photo is in collaboration with one of the institutes in Amsterdam. In this building, I feel the design and architecture of the Dutch occupation.
Plus the photos shown are only black and white. There is a photo of Fatmawati, the First Lady of Indonesia, sewing the red and white flag. There is a photo of Jakarta in 1940. Then, British troops used steel tanks in Jakarta. The museum is called the Antara Museum and the Journalistic Photo Gallery. The museum was officially inaugurated on December 13, 1992. This place is easily accessible. In fact, it is very strategic. This place is in an old Dutch colonial heritage building. Very close to the entrance of Pasar Baru, a famous market in Jakarta.
Not many people visit this place. It's very busy if there is a photo exhibition. Some of the rooms are used as cafes and training grounds. The walls of this museum are often used for photo exhibitions. There is a small stage that is often used for talk shows or music. Multipurpose rooms are often used for photography training. Actually I want to follow this agenda, I aim for traveling photography. Oh yes, this place is a two-story staircase.
On the second floor there is a main room that hangs a globe. Then, the books were spread. I thought it was a study and a bedroom, On the second floor there is an interactive installation. There is such a map of Batavia that you can trace. There is also a repository for Indonesian journalism. Especially for print media. Like a typewriter from years. Then, newspapers in 1940. This museum is perfect for those of you who want to know the process of photojournalism. You can appreciate the importance of the photos. There are some very interesting things in this place. Among them:
1.Mural about Indonesian Independence
For me photos and art are two things that are interconnected. In photos we can enjoy the beauty that we can see. In beauty, we can immortalize it. That happened to the mural about Indonesian independence in the Antara Museum. On the wall of the second floor, there is a mural of independence. I feel if the second floor functioned as a museum. The first floor is used as a gallery.
2.Indonesian History Comics
In this room, there is a panel of Indonesian historical comics. there is also a picture of Soekarno-Hatta. Then there is Syahrir and others. The first comic book writer tells about the national movement starting with Boedi Oetomo, the Youth Congress, the Youth Pledge and the Antara News Agency.
And then, the second comic tells about the Japanese colonial period and the seconds of Indonesia's independence. There is a story about Adam Malik on August 17, 1945 summoning one of the journalists to broadcast the story of Indonesia's independence. Then, it was broadcast to the whole world.
The next story is about the condition of democracy in Indonesia. Namely, Liberal Democracy at the beginning of Indonesia's independence. Furthermore, Indonesia changed the course of guided democracy. Then there was the massacre on September 30, 1965. Finally, during the New Order era.
That's my story about this place, hopefully this story will become new knowledge about Indonesia. See you in the next story.
About Author
Nurdiani Latifah
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I currently live in Jakarta – Indonesia, after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I had been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
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