“Mata Hari used to live in a room back there,” Nirwono Joga from the Jakarta Green Map said Saturday, in reference to a nearby restaurant on Jl. Veteran, Central Jakarta.
The fact about the legendary World War I spy was just one of many he shared during the launch of the Green Map exhibition at the Griya BPPI on Saturday.
“The Banteng Square used to be known as the Waterloo plain, and the area where Hotel Borobudur stands now was a forest inhabited by wild animals. That canal over there was part of a large fort,” Nirwono continued his explanation, as he gestured to where the canal now runs under a busy elevated railroad.
One can hardly believe that once the bustling city had spies and handkerchief-waving aristocrats wandering its corners, nor that the paved protocol roads were once filled with green shrubs, but that is precisely what Jakarta Green Map is aiming to do – enrich residents’ understanding of their city’s history.
“We want to introduce the concept that heritage is not only about old buildings, but also parks, reservoirs and lakes, and that these green treasures should be conserved,” Nirwono said.
Jakarta Green Map is part of Green Map Indonesia, a group that focuses on mapping green spaces in various regions.
The group will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year. It has so far produced maps on various areas of Jakarta, such as Kemang and Kebayoran Baru.
The exhibition, which started Saturday, will run for two weeks, featuring two of the latest green maps of Jakarta: One that depicts the city’s reservoirs (situ) and another that aims to guide the users to explore the city using public transportation, as well as various green maps from other parts of the world, including Japan, Uganda and the US.
The event will include the Veteran Festival, which will be held Saturday next week and will feature various artistic performances along the historically rich street and a discussion about the city’s groundwater management, which will be held on Oct. 24, and a Green Map-making workshop on Oct. 25.
Jakartans will enjoy a double treat this year because the Green Map event will also be supporting the fifth Heritage Gathering of the Indonesian Heritage Trust (BPPI), an organization dedicated to safeguarding the sustainability of Indonesian heritage.
“We are happy that there is an event that can be jointly carried out by the BPPI and the Jakarta Green Map,” Catrini P. Kubontubuh, BPPI Executive Director, said.
“All this time, one [group] has been focusing on the environment and the other on culture. When the causes are integrated, it will be more optimal,”
Ganjar Wibowo, who is experiencing his first Green Map Jakarta event, said he was thrilled to participate in an occasion that focused on two of his favorite subjects: nature and history. (JP/dis)
The Jakarta Post | Mon, 10/12/2009 12:02 PM | City
