Archive for January, 2008
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The one-month 2008 Biennale Jogja, the ninth edition of the Yogyakarta event dedicated to the visual arts, officially closed Monday evening with the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards to senior artists Soedarso Sp and Edhi Sunarso.
This was just the second-ever awards presentation at Biennale Jogja. The first was at the 8th Biennale Jogja in 2005.
“We see this as a dignified way of showing acceptance to someone or some community for achievements which are considered as inspirational to others,” said Suwarno Wisetrotomo, one of the curators for the 2008 Biennale Jogja.
Suwarno said the two artists were honored for their outstanding dedication, creativity and artistic achievements.
According to the awards committee, the 72-year-old Soedarso has shown outstanding dedication, loyalty and achievement in the teaching of visual arts in the country. The 76-year-old Edhi Sunarso has demonstrated the same dedication, loyalty and achievement in the world of sculpture, both nationally and internationally.
“Both figures have given us an important message that achievement, both as an educator and as an artist, requires the strongest commitment …,” Suwarno said.
This year’s exhibition took place at three venues — the Jogja National Museum in Gampingan, the Taman Budaya Yogyakarta cultural center on Jl. Sriwedani Yogyakarta and the Sangkring Arts Space in Nitiprayan, on the southern outskirts of Yogyakarta.
Previous events were held all at the exhibition hall of Taman Budaya Yogyakarta.
“By (having different venues), hopefully, it will enable us to include as many stakeholders as possible in this important event, and thus make it much better in performance as well as in organization in the future,” said the head of Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Dyan Anggraeni Rais.
Biennale Jogja has in the past been roundly criticized, especially for the limited budget provided by the government and poor management of the event.
Source: The Jakarta Post
January 31st, 2008
SURABAYA - Bagi umat Khonghucu, Tri Dharma, maupun Buddha, tahun baru Imlek mempunyai arti yang sangat penting. Tak heran, bila hampir setiap tempat peribadatan mereka terus dibenahi untuk menyambut tahun Tikus Tanah ini.
Salah satunya Klenteng Pak Kik Bio-Hian Thian Siang Tee. Klenteng ini terus diperbaiki dan dihias agar tampak cantik. Mereka menganggap tahun baru merupakan awal bagi harapan baru yang lebih baik. Namun, perayaan tahun ini lebih ditekankan kepada kegiatan sosial.
“Tahun ini kami tidak mau merayakan Imlek dengan berfoya-foya, sebab banyak saudara kita yang mengalami musibah,” ujar Ketua Umum Klenteng Pak Kik Bio-Hian Thian Siang Tee, Surya Ajie, kemarin (29/1).
Perayaan tahun baru Imlek 2559 yang tinggal sepekan lagi, lebih dimaknai sebagai momen yang tepat untuk kembali mempererat silaturahmi kepada sesama. “Kami tidak-membeda-bedakan dalam memberikan bantuan kepada msayarakat kurang mampu,” kata Ajie.
Sisa waktu menjelang perayaan Imlek yang jatuh pada 7 Februari dimanfaatkan beberapa pengurus klenteng untuk memperbaiki tempat ibadah. Mereka mengecat ulang tembok-tembok klenteng yang telah usang.(top/ken)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
January 30th, 2008
SURABAYA - Museum ternyata belum bisa menjadi tempat wisata alternatif yang memikat bagi sebagian besar warga. Jumlah pengunjung beberapa museum di metropolis justru menurun. Salah satunya adalah Museum Kesehatan dr Adhyatma MPH.
Pada 2006, pengunjung museum di Jalan Indrapura itu berjumlah 1.461 orang. Namun, sepanjang 2007, jumlah pengunjung menurun 69 persen. Hingga kemarin (28/1), baru sekitar 46 orang yang berkunjung selama awal tahun ini.
“Kami sudah beberapa kali menyosialisasikan ke sekolah SD, SMP, dan SMA. Namun, tingkat kunjungan di museum itu tetap tidak meningkat signifikan,” ujar Mabaroch, kepala Subbid Jaringan Informasi dan Perpustakaan Puslitbang Yantekkes kemarin.
Museum yang menyimpan koleksi kesehatan tersebut membagi koleksinya menjadi tiga kelompok. Yakni, kelompok ilmu pengetahuan kesehatan, sejarah kesehatan, dan alat-alat kesehatan. Koleksi itu adalah barang-barang kesehatan yang pernah digunakan sejak dunia kedokteran berkembang di Indonesia.
Sebagian koleksinya berhubungan dengan alat kesehatan reproduksi. Misalnya, kursi ibu melahirkan, tempat tidur pasien, hingga alat bantu seks. “Barang tentang perilaku kesehatan juga ada. Celana anti pemerkosaan, misalnya,” jelas Ayok, panggilan akrab Mabarroch.
Sejatinya, Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pernah mengeluarkan imbauan kunjungan dari museum ke museum. Namun, itu tak mampu mendongkrak peminat museum. Hanya beberapa komunitas yang rutin berkunjung. “Padahal, museum bisa menjadi sumber inspirasi, selain sumber pengetahuan,” katanya. (top/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
January 29th, 2008
SURABAYA - Tak lama lagi, warga kota ini bisa menikmati keindahan taman khusus lansia (lanjut usia) di Jalan Kalimantan. Saat ini, pembangunan sudah berjalan 90 persen. Terakhir, taman itu sudah ditambahi fasilitas air mancur dan beberapa lampu di berbagai sisi.
Kepala Dinas Kebersihan dan Pertamanan (DKP) Hidayat Syah mengatakan, taman yang diprioritaskan khusus lansia itu ditargetkan selesai Maret mendatang. Hidayat menjelaskan, pembangunan taman tersebut dibagi tiga tahap.
Pertama, pematangan lahan dan pembuatan taman yang menghabiskan anggaran Rp 50 juta. Tahap kedua, pembangunan air mancur dan jalan setapak dengan total anggaran Rp 40 juta. Terakhir, pembuatan jogging track khusus lansia dan penambahan berbagai fasilitas lain menghabiskan anggaran sekitar Rp 40 juta. “Fisiknya sudah sembilan puluh persen. Ini tinggal menambah berbagai fasilitas,” tuturnya.
Lebih lanjut, dia menjelaskan, kebutuhan para lansia menjadi prioritas dalam perancangan taman itu. Desain taman, misalnya, dibikin sesuai dengan kebutuhan penduduk usia lanjut. Misalnya, penyediaan lahan khusus untuk senam lansia dan area jalanan yang dirancang tanpa anak tangga. Taman tersebut juga akan dilengkapi fasilitas pijat refleksi untuk lansia. Selain itu, bentuk tempat duduk disesuaikan dengan anatomi tubuh mereka.
Taman tersebut sebenarnya digagas sejak DKP dipimpin Tri Rismaharini (kini kepala Bappeko). Waktu itu, Risma mengatakan bahwa lansia perlu dihargai dengan membangun taman khusus. Sebab, 30 persen dari 2,7 juta penduduk Surabaya berusia lanjut. Karena itu, penting sekali memperhatikan sarana hiburan bagi mereka. Sebab, tempat-tempat hiburan, seperti mal dan pertokoan, dinilai kurang layak bagi lansia. (kit/oni)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
January 28th, 2008
Berbagai kegiatan menyambut Tahun Baru Imlek terus dilakukan warga keturunan Tionghoa. Di tempat ibadat Tri Dharma Hong San Ko Tee, kemarin dilakukan upacara pembersihan diri atau biasa disebut upacara Ci Suak.
Sekitar 500 umat memadati kelenteng yang berlokasi di Jalan Cokroaminoto itu. Selain menyambut Imlek yang jatuh pada 7 Februari mendatang, upacara Ci Suak untuk mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Tuhan. “Agar ke depan kita diberi kemudahan,” ujar Yuliani, pengurus keenteng.
Mengawali upacara, Suhu Johnny Ho yang memimpin umat mengajak semua yang hadir memejamkan mata dan melepas semua akseori yang melekat di badan. Setelah itu, mereka berdoa bersama. Di sela-sela doanya, Suhu Johnny memohon agar negara Indonesia diberi ketenteraman.
Sementara itu, meriahnya suasana penyambutan Tahun Baru Imlek juga terlihat di ITC Surabaya. Atraksi Barongsai dari Yayasan Serumai di atrium pusat perbelanjaan itu menarik perhatian pengunjung di sana. “Hampir setiap minggu kami adakan atraksi Barongsai di sini. Sambutannya selalu meriah,” ujar promotion manager ITC Surabaya, Yenni Sampoerna.
Pengunjung diberi kesempatan berinteraksi langsung dengan barongsai modern berwarna merah tersebut. Mereka lantas berebut memberikan angpo (amplop merah) yang sudah diisi uang. “Kalangan Tionghoa percaya kalau menyisishkan sebagian rezeki untuk barongsai, tahun depan rezekinya akan berlipat ganda. Makanya, mereka saling berebut agar angpo-nya dimakan barongsai,” katanya. Selain barongsai, pengunjung anak-anak kemarin mengikuti lomba merias lampion. (dee/uji/nw)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
January 28th, 2008
JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia is negotiating the return of an ancient Javanese stone that was first taken by a British colonialist in the 1800s and is now held by a family trust in Scotland.
The Sangguran stone, a column dated 928 AD and inscribed with ancient Javanese characters, was taken from its site near the modern-day town of Malang in East Java in 1812, said Hadi Untoro Drajat of the culture ministry.
The stone, which weighs almost four tonnes and was installed to mark the ancient Sangguran village as a reserve area, is now being held by the Minto Trust, a family trust in Scotland, Drajat said.
“We are in negotiations to return the Sangguran stone back to Indonesia,” Drajat said at a press conference.
The artefact was removed from East Java by British colonialist Stamford Raffles during his 1811 to 1816 rule over Java and parts of Sumatra island, Drajat said.
Raffles gave the stone to his superior Lord Minto, the governor general of India, who then brought it back to his home in Scotland where it still stands.
An Indonesian businessman who claims he unwittingly bought stolen antiquities last year is helping the government negotiate the stone’s return.
“The Indonesian government has a policy of not paying for the return of ancient artefacts, but we are ready to cover the transfer costs and compensation to the Minto Trust,” Djojohadikusmo said at the press conference.
Last November, police found four ancient statues stolen from a Central Java museum at Djojohadikusomo’s Jakarta home. Four people, including the museum’s curator, were arrested in the case, but Djojohadikusmo has not been named a suspect.
Theft of ancient artefacts is rife in Indonesia, home to ruins of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms that flourished from the seventh century onward.
Source: http://afp.google.com/
January 25th, 2008
Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Bantul
Japanese Prince Fumihito Akishimo said he was amazed Wednesday at the beauty of the seventh century Prambanan Temple, but was also concerned about its damaged state after the massive Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006.
“The prince was worried about the damage caused by the earthquake and said he hoped it could be restored soon,” said Herni Pramastuti, supervisor of the Central Java Preservation and Cultural Heritage Center, who accompanied the prince on his visit to Prambanan Temple.
The prince, however, did not say whether he would provide assistance for the restoration, Herni said. The Japanese government has so far provided around Rp 800 million (approximately US$88,800) to restore Garuda Temple located east of Prambanan.
Herni said it would take a long time and a lot of money to renovate Prambanan Temple. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has so far provided Rp 500 million to restore Prambanan Temple.
During the visit to Prambanan, Prince Akishimo was accompanied by his wife, Princess Kiko, who asked many questions about the meaning of the reliefs on the temple walls.
“She was very curious and often asked for explanations about the reliefs inside the temple, especially the animal figures,” Herni said.
During the tour, Prince Akishimo often stopped to take photos of the temple and surroundings with his pocket camera.
Before visiting Prambanan Temple, Akishimo also visited SMPN II Pleret junior high school in Bantul, Yogyakarta, which was rebuilt by the Japanese government after the earthquake.
During the 20-minute visit, Akishimo, escorted by Yogyakarta Education Office head Sugito and Bantul Regent Idham Samawi, said he was impressed by the children’s rapid recovery from post-quake trauma.
“He was pleased not only at the speed of the reconstruction work but also with people’s psychological recovery, especially the school children,” Idham said.
Akishimo made positive remarks about students’ extra curricular studies in Bantul, which included music and handicrafts, Idham said.
“Very good, you are clever,” Idham said, citing the prince as they watched students engaged in pottery making.
Akishimo presented a memento to the school, in the form of a ceramic rooster produced by a village in Japan. For Akishimo, the rooster has added meaning since he has conducted research on poultry and previously had visited Indonesia for the purpose.
Akishimo also attended an informal meeting and banquet on Wednesday hosted by Gadjah Mada University rector Sudjarwadi.
“The meeting focussed more on education and cultural issues since UGM has so far established good ties with a number of universities in Japan,” Sudjarwadi said after the meeting.
Source: The Jakarta Post
January 25th, 2008
SURABAYA - Ribuan umat Hindu Surabaya dan sekitarnya merayakkan Hari Raya Galungan kemarin petang. Acara yang dipusatkan di Pura Agung Jagad Karana Jalan Lumba-Lumba itu diikuti sekitar 6000 orang yang dibagi menjadi tiga gelombang.
“Mereka datang dari Gresik, Sidoarjo, Lamongan, dan Surabaya,” ujar Nyoman Pustika, pengurus Pura Agung Jagad Karana.
Di Surabaya ada sembilan Pura. Selain di Jalan Lumba-Lumba, juga ada di kawasan Gubeng, Tandes, Kenjeran, Karang Pilang, dan Dukuh Kupang. Acara berakhir pukul 23.00.
Upacara diawali dengan Puja Astawa atau puji-pujian kepada Sang Hyang Widhi, sembari menanti umat lainnya datang. Setelah itu, mereka yang datang mengenakan pakaian khas Bali, sarung dan udeng warna kuning dan putih tersebut, mengikuti ritual dharma wacana (ceramah).
Dharma wacana disampaikan Drs Made Gunarta, ketua I Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia Surabaya. Dia mengangkat tema pengaruh globalisasi pada degradasi moral ajaran agama Hindu. “Ritual menjadi praktis, ekonomis, dan gelis (cepat, Red). Berbeda dengan dahulu yang sangat dinamis,” ungkapnya.
Made mengatakan, ada dua cara untuk menanggulang degradasi moral. Pertama, menciptakan konsep diri, kemudian menjalankan agama dengan baik dan tekun, atau yang biasa disebut dengan Dhiana Sandiyasa. “Setelah itu, Karma Sandiyasa. Artinya, menegakkan karma sesuai dengan konsep Wedha,” tambah Made. Galungan sendiri menurut Made, memiliki arti kemenangan Dharma melawan Adharma.
Setelah ceramah, umat Hindu mengikuti apa yang disebut Puja Tri Sandya. “Secara bersama-sama berdoa memohon kepada Tuhan, dipimpin oleh pemimpin umat,” jelas Nyoman. Setelah berdoa bersama-sama, umat Hindu satu sama lain saling bersalaman dan beramah tamah. (dee/ken/dab/nw)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
January 24th, 2008
Godeliva D Sari, Contributor, Ngawi, East Java
Experts say the deforestation of the areas that support the Bengawan Solo River was one of the main causes of the recent floods in Central and East Java.
Most teak forests in the regions that suffered floods have been completely razed to the ground in the past decade. The replanting of these forested areas has been a failure.
Customarily the task of replanting teak forests is given to the communities who live around the forests, in a system called mbaon. The root word of mbaon is bau, which means labor.
The mbaon people are allowed to plant ground crops such as peanuts, sweet potato or maize, and are responsible for the young teak while it grows. When the teak matures and shades the ground, the villagers are supposed to leave and let the forest grow.
After several decades the teak will be harvested and once again the villagers will be recruited to tend the young trees in the mbaon system.
Joned is such a villager and he tends his mbaon plot in the area that a decade ago was an old teak forest that had been standing since the Dutch colonial era. Now the area looks like agricultural land. Joned is planting wet rice on the land that used to support teak.
Forestry officials in this area have decided against a homogeneous teak plantation and have given him seedlings of quicker maturing hardwood trees such as neem, sengon and mahogany. Because he has elected to plant rice he can only plant the forestry’s trees on the dividing walls between the plots.
“Officials told me they would come and harvest the trees in eight years,” he explained as he spread a concoction of three types of chemical fertilizer on his rice plants.
“After three years the mbaon people are supposed to leave. But usually by that time the young hardwood trees have disappeared,” Joned said. This forces the authorities to start another mbaon term, and the forest never matures.
Joned’s mbaon plot is not far from Begal, a village that used to be deep in the middle of an old teak forest. This sizable forest once covered the districts of Jogorogo, Kedunggalar and Widodaren in Ngawi regency in the Western part of East Java. Now there are barely any big trees here.
The teak has been carted away, and every other type of tree has been chopped down. With the local price of firewood exceeding Rp 200,000 for a small pickup truck full, any type of wood now fetches worthwhile money.
This is one reason why it is nearly impossible to find a really old, big tree in Java today. Surveying the horizon there is only one tall, lonely tree in the distance.
Joned explained that no one dared chop it down because it had resident spirits called dhemit living in it. By the big tree, a huge kepuh, there is a ruin of an old swimming pool, fed by a natural spring. The kepuh stands by the forgotten pool, unaware that a fear of the supernatural has spared it from the chain saws that felled the thousands of other trees that once dominated the landscape.
The absence of big, ancient, trees becomes noticeable when you start to look for them. Then you notice that every big tree in this region is either in a cemetery or is haunted. There is nothing here to compare with the famous giant redwoods of North America. Trees there are thousands of years old, large enough to cut a tunnel that a car can pass through. Here, a tree that is 50 years old is considered big.
Look up the north side of Mount Lawu and you see whole slopes that have been completely deforested. The ridges of the mountains form a depressing silhouette against the sky: scraggly pines where the forest should be thick. Everywhere there is evidence of careless land use. Steep slopes are planted with flimsy seasonal crops like cassava and maize. Landslides are evident in too many places.
In the village of Ngrendeng in the district of Sine there are two huge trembesi rain trees. Sure enough, under these two beauties there are two graves. Pak Hadi Susanto, the keeper, explains that in one of the graves is a certain Ki Ageng Pasuruan while the other one is where his weapons were buried. Ki Ageng Pasuruan was also known as Pangeran Wirayuda and is supposed to have hailed from the times of Sultan Agung of the Islamic Mataram kingdom. History notes that in the early 17th century Mataram sent a force to annex Pasuruan. If the grave in Ngrendeng is from that time, the trembesi trees there have been growing for nearly 400 years.
Trees in Java are endangered. Economic needs, lack of arable land, and population growth have together caused deforestation and the felling of big trees in non-forest areas. However the idea that spirits haunt certain places, like cemeteries, appears to be effective in protecting trees from the chain saw.
In this respect it might be useful to consider the experience of Thailand, where forest communities have successfully managed and conserved their natural resources. In Thailand, communities found that conservation was much more efficient when spirits were involved. The village of Tam Nai in North Thailand, for example, has successfully conserved its community forest by consecrating the trees to Buddha and local spirits.
The forests of Java are too important to be treated as plantations, expected to produce a harvest of timber. Java needs a complete moratorium on logging. The forests need to be given back to the communities and the local spirits. The local forest communities know that they depend on their forest for their livelihoods and are the most motivated to conserve them. With help from spirits such as the Javanese dhemit we will keep trees standing for longer. Maybe the government should consider recruiting these dhemit.
Source: The Jakarta Post
January 23rd, 2008
Swiss-Belhotel International, the manager of hotels, resorts and serviced Residences in Asia, is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement with the Ciputra Group to manage their golf club developments in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia.
The property called Ciputra Golf, Family Club and Villas, is located in the western suburbs of Surabaya, just 30 minutes from the Juanda International airport and 15 minutes from the central business district.
Emmanuel Guillard, Vice President Operations and Development of Swiss-Belhotel International - Indonesia said in a press statement: “We are very pleased that Swiss-Belhotel International has been appointed to manage Ciputra Golf, Family Club and Villas and we are confident that the extensive development will enhance the city’s rapidly growing tourism infrastructure. We believe that this will also provide new options for luxury residential living in Surabaya.
The Ciputra Golf, Family Club and Villas have a fantastic view of the golf course.  The club will provide extensive conference facilities as well as excellent food and beverage services. It is ideal for long stay guests, families, company events and meetings.  We will provide the club with Swiss-Belhotel International’s acclaimed high product and service standards, which we have developed through years of endeavour in understanding our guests’ needs completely and satisfying this totally” Guillard further stressed.
Source: http://www.etravelblackboard.com/
January 22nd, 2008
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