Disbud Holds Humans and Disasters Exhibition at Maritime Museum

The Jakarta Culture Agency (disbud) is holding a contemporary exhibition themed 'Humans and Disasters: Mythology, Mitigation, and the Future' at Jakarta's Maritime Museum, Jalan Pasar Ikan, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Friday (8/26).

This exhibition also disseminates information and enriches visitors' insight and knowledge

The exhibition is placed on the 1st floor, Building A of the Maritime Museum from August 26 to October 26, 2022. While the theme was taken to tell that Indonesia is prone to disaster considering the country is located in the ring of fire.

This exhibition presents stories about maritime disasters, stories that are still stored in the memory of the Indonesian people, as well as disaster mitigation from ancestors in the archipelago at that time through texts.

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Jakarta Disbud Head Iwan Henry Wardhana said that the disaster exhibition was a reminder and momentum for self-introspection about disasters in Indonesia to be more alert to future disasters.

It could raise awareness that disasters can occur anytime and anywhere, whether they are because of divine power or from humans.

“Through this event, as human beings, we can know how to manage disasters that will occur in the future and surely needs deep understanding early," he expressed, Friday (8/26).

According to him, adaptive efforts to disaster are something that has been handed down from ancient times from ancestors as the beginning of disaster mitigation with a variety of folklore knowledge in the form of poetry, songs to bedtime stories. It is a reminder of how important it is to protect the environment and warnings against disasters.

He explained that it introduced ancestral culture by reminding humans to protect the environment and warning of impending disasters.

"This exhibition also disseminates information and enriches visitors' insight and knowledge through tangible and intangible collections related to ancestral culture in preventing and dealing with disasters," he explained.

He continued that the development of technology made through the disaster early detection system as a modern mitigation effort made people more aware of themselves.

"Besides being closely related to cultural resilience but also the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve it all, Indonesia must have a form of resilience as a Resilient Country, or Resilient City, especially for Jakarta," he explained.

Jakarta's Maritime Museum Technical Unit Head Mis'ari explained that the exhibition presented installations in the form of panels containing information on the timeline of Indonesia's maritime disasters, the lithography of Raden Saleh's paintings, the story of the legend of Nyi Roro Kidul of the Java Sea, the names of the traditions of offerings or sea alms on the coast of the archipelago.

Including tsunami poems and several installations that present a collection of ceramics from the Chinese Ship Tek Sing and other installations on maritime disaster mitigation.

He explained that there would also be an open discussion and a creative workshop. During this time, the role of the museum as a cultural center is also finding new ways to appreciate collections, history, and heritage, as well as creating traditions that have new meaning for future generations.

"Information presented in the event is expected to improve information about maritime disasters and how to overcome them," he closed.