Rabu, 21 Mei 2008

Foundation traces the national awakening through books

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 05/20/2008 8:23 PM | National

The Indonesian Heritage Trust (BPPI) celebrates a century since the national awakening by publishing a book about Boedi Oetomo, a youth organization founded in May 20, 1908.

The book is titled 100 Tahun Kebangkitan Nasional, Jejak Boedi Oetomo: Peristiwa, Tokoh dan Tempat (100 years of National Awakening, Boedi Oetomo footprints: Event, Figures and Place). It's soft launch was held in the National Awakening Building on Tuesday.

"We hope the book will make the young aware of their historical footprint," the book editor, Bambang Eryudhawan, told The Jakarta Post.

Many of the national awakening's historical sites, Eryudhawan said, have been forgotten including the Stovia building, the SMA 11 Solo, which was used as for first congress of Boedi Oetomo, the Lilin monument in Surakarta, the Yogyakarta Museum and the teacher's education school in Yogyakarta.

"SMA 11, where Boedi Oetomo held its first congress, was still feasible as a school building, while we saw many school buildings collapse due to widespread corruption. Our founding fathers must have cried for us," said the author who is also an architect.

"It is time to tell the stories about people's efforts that are important to us. We should make the most of their legacy.

"We are known as a nation with amnesia, easily forgetting things we did in the past. Regulations change all the time and law enforcement is low. People are becoming more consumerist and history appreciation is their last priority."

About 2,000 copies of the book are expected to hit the market by June.

The 192-pages book is divided into three parts. The first part contains stories about the establishment of Boedi Oetomo from 1908 to the 50th commemoration of national awakening in 1958.

The second part features biographies of Dr. Wahidin Soedirohoesoedo and the nine people believed to be the organization's founders.

The third part explores places and buildings related to the national awakening.

Eryudhawan said the four authors received a lot of support from the families of these figures, receiving "pictures and untold stories about them."

The book's launch was part of a centennial celebration of the national awakening featuring an exhibition, seminars, workshops, a painting contest, a writing contest, a drumming festival, a
traditional culinary festival, and museum and historical site visits.

The National Awakening Building was built in 1899 and was first used as a medical school for native students, popularly known as Stovia.

The first modern organization Boedi Oetomo was founded in May 20, 1908 by medical students R. Soetomo, R. Soeradji and their colleagues in Stovia's anatomy room, with the support of Dr.
Wahidin Soedirhoesoedo.

BPPI's executive director Catrini Kubontubuh said publishing the book was to promulgate the importance of Boedi Oetomo's history.

"The core meaning behind Boedi Oetomo's history has not been articulated very well because the history has only partially been presented. For example, some people thought Boedi Oetomo was a person's name," Catrini told the Post.

"We are presenting the whole history so the message reaches the people."

Mayasari Sekarlaranti, the grandchild of Boedi Oetomo's first vice chairman Dr. Moh. Soelaiman, said many people were misinformed about Boedi Oetomo even 100 years after its establishment.

"I was shocked to found out that the organization was founded by people who came from very remote places such as Banyumas, Dauhan, in Central Java. It never crossed my mind that the
founding fathers of this country were just young country men. I can't image what it would be like in those places 100 years ago," Mayasari said.

"They were just lucky to have chance to study at Stovia. I admire their high spirit of integration and nationalism, which brought them to found such a modern organization at such a time." (**)

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