Symbolic Center of Jakarta

March 1, 2009

The first thing to do in a new city is view its symbolic center.. that is, where the city self-consciously presents itself to visitors. Jakart is a sprawling city, but here around Merdeka Square are three important sites: the National Monument, the National Musum,and the Istiqlal Mosque ("Independence Mosque"). Each is related to the idea of Indonesia a nation. I anticipate that one complex aspect of recent Indonesian history will be the way this eternally diverse archipelago of islands—with over 300 distinct ethnic groups—has been made to cohere as a nation.

The National Monument (Monas) is a column topped by a gilded flame. It was begun under Sukarno (the first post-independence leader) and completed by Suharto (who overthrew Sukarno in 1967).

The monument to independence is a standard item in post colonial nations. The trick for a monument like this appears to be the use of a modernist style that marks the monument as a participant in international currents while at the same time adding hints of a local flavor.

As is evident from the aerial view, this monument stands in the midst of a large square. Like the mall in Washington DC, a number of important institutions stand on the edge of this Merdeka Square. One is the National Museum, which is partially housed in a building that goes back to Dutch colonial days. The museum's website gives a decent introduction to the range of its collections. The collections are heavily slanted to classical Indonesian art, consisting mainly of Hindu and Buddhist art. A second emphasis is the rich multiethnic and tribal heritage of Indonesia. I am sure there are elements of Islamic art and history mixed in there, but the museum's website heavily concentrates on non-Islamic artifacts. Judging by their photographs, visitors are also most interested in the non-Islamic heritage (see this collection).

The National Museum comments on the above statue of Bhairava the Tantric-Buddhist god:

The whole iconography of statue is a very good example of syncretism, the mixture of different religious beliefs, predominant at that time. Bhairava is the frightening appearance of shiva (Hinduism) and shows a Buddha in his hair bun (Buddhism). He wears a belt with a representation of Kala on it (Hinduism); the bells hanging from the belt are symbols of Tantrism.

This heavy syncretism will be fun to explore in these posts, but it also might be a clue as to why the Islamic material is missing from the museum: Islam's official narrative will contrast with the religious mixing that characterizes material like this statue. Also, let's not forget that the National Museum is putting forward a tourist-friendly face of Indonesia.

The third important building on Merdeka Square is the Mosque Istiqlal, or Mosque of Independence. As its name suggests, this mosque was constructed after independence (by Sukarno).

Again note the strategy of adopting a style that is clearly influenced by modernist forms, but adding hints of native Indonesian elements. This kind of national mosque stands beside other extravagant examples such as the Hassan II Mosque near Casablanca in Morocco. It is a statement of nationalism every bit as much as the nearby National Monument.

This, by the way, is a truly large mosque. What it is like to visit this mosque on an Islamic festival day is beautifully clear in the YouTube video below. The video is a faithful record of walking into the mosque:

About two-thirds of the way through there is a look out of the mosque toward an old Catholic Church.. and we get a sense of how this mosque, set in the midst of what was once the European city, is a statement of national independence.. awesomely overshadowing colonial religious structures.

National Monument photo by Flickr user datasage, used by Creative Commons License.

National Museum photo (statue) by Flickr user glenaa.

Mosque Istiqlal photo by Flickr user HKmPUA, used by Creative Commons License.

PDF file of Flickr series of photos on National Museum in Jakarta.

PDF file of National Museum (Indonesia) homepage.

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