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The Evening Lecture Committee invites you to put the dates for the next series of lectures into your diaries now to make sure you don’t miss any. We look forward to seeing you at Erasmus Huis in Kuningan for 6 lectures from 4 October to 8 November 2011. The lectures run from 7:00 pm to 8:30pm. for more information, call (62-21) 572-5870 or email lectures@heritagejkt.org An entrance donation of Rp 30,000 is requested.
Tuesday, February 7
Flooding in Jakarta -- Fook Chuan Eng and Peter D. Ellis
Floods are a crippling fact of life in Jakarta, and the situation is getting steadily worse. The floods of January 1996, February 2002, and February 2007 were especially devastating. They brought the city to a standstill, creating formidable economic and social costs. The following numbers bring home the severity of the problem: the most recent severe flood in 2007 covered 36% of the city, with floodwaters up to seven meters deep in some areas. At least 70 people died, 340,000 were forced to flee their homes and 2.6 million people were significantly affected. Virtually any sustained rain now creates some form of flooding and, depending on the time of day, gridlock.
Join Fook Chuan Eng and Peter D. Ellis from the World Bank in Jakarta to hear about the challenges facing Jakarta in a changing climate, why it floods, the probability of worsening floods, and what the city is proposing to do about it.
WELCOME RECEPTION AT 6 P.M. PLEASE JOIN US
Tuesday, February 14
How Indonesia Found an Income: Stamp Duty and Taxes -- Bryant E. Korn
Developing revenue streams for the fledgling Indonesian government set up in 1945 was paramount and became critical as the country grew. Previously, the Dutch had occupied Indonesia solely as the foundation for their export businesses. The new government was formed using the limited political framework from the Dutch colonial occupation but lack of tax revenue influenced the politics, economy and evolution of the country.
For independent Indonesia, key taxes of both national and local governments were revenue stamps or Stamp Duty. The vast size of the country with many remote communities combined with the lack of both property rights and tax collection mechanisms meant that revenue stamps and labels became integral to the government’s tax base. A plethora of national and local revenue stamps and proof-of-tax-paid labels exist, from wage and trade taxes to radio, television, bicycle and ox cart taxes. Every document was taxed cradle-to-grave. Bryant Korn will discuss and illustrate the economic development of Indonesia through colorful examples of tax revenues from 1945 to the present.
Tuesday, February 21
Heritage of Banda: Exploring the Spice Islands -- Tanya Alwi
Where can one dive or snorkel in vibrant reefs, walk quiet village lanes, explore five colonial forts and more than 30 restored colonial-era buildings, plus eat freshly-caught tuna, watch Kora Kora boat races, and visit a nutmeg plantation? The last gives it away: Banda, part of the Spice Islands, lying lush and green at the center of Indonesia’s Coral Reef Triangle. Target of traders for centuries and more recently home to exiled national leaders, over the years Banda played a role on both national and international stages.
Tanya Alwi grew up surrounded by fragrant nutmeg groves and the rich Banda Sea and learned to love her home early on. Today, she combines environmental activism with historic preservation, continuing her father Des Alwi’s unflagging work in rebuilding Banda’s renown. Her dream and current focus is to have Banda recognized as a World Heritage Site based on both its architecture and biodiversity. Join the ‘princess of Banda’ for a personal and fascinating introduction to these fabled islands of nutmeg and pearls.
Tuesday, February 28
Conservation in the Land of Walking Sharks: the Bird’s Head Seascape of West Papua
Mark Erdmann
Stretching from Teluk Cendrawasih in the east to Raja Ampat in the west, the 183,000 km2 Bird's Head Seascape in West Papua is renowned as the global epicenter of marine biodiversity - with more than ten times the number of coral species as the entire Caribbean Sea, and three species of endemic "walking sharks." The region is also home to a rich cultural heritage and remote coastal villages that are entirely dependent on the marine resources of the Bird's Head for their survival. Although these communities have been at the forefront of marine conservation in Indonesia, the current development paradigm in the region threatens to undermine these communities' food security and destroy this unique global heritage.
Dr. Mark Erdmann, Senior Advisor for Conservation International's Indonesia Marine Program, will provide an in-depth look at this globally-celebrated picturesque region and the efforts of Papuan coastal communities and their international and local NGO partners to ensure healthy, sustainable economic development while preserving the seascape's biological riches.
Tuesday, March 6
The Dilemma: A Free Press in a Transitional Society -- Yuli Ismartono
There was great rejoicing when the new Press Law was enacted in 1999 following the resignation of President Suharto, who had ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for 40 years. It was intended to herald an era of reforms that would set the country on the road towards a more democratic society. But in the following years, it became clear that a free press alone, without the proper structural and institutional changes, faced tremendous barriers in carrying out its function as society’s watchdog.
Yuli Ismartono, eminent Indonesian journalist with over three decades of experience in highly-respected national and international communications media, focuses on the growing role of print, electronic and social media, the challenges of disseminating news and information, and how it is impacting Indonesian society.
Tuesday, March 13
The Kamoro of Papua -- Kal Muller
The Kamoro inhabit a stretch of coastline on the southern shore of central Papua bordering the Arafura Sea. Their traditional semi-nomadic life-style of hunting, gathering and fishing meant frequently shifting between three rich ecosystems. Today, under government and Roman Catholic influence, the Kamoro live in fairly permanent villages, relocating only occasionally.
The western part of Kamoro-land became the furthest outreach of an eastern Indonesian trade network around the 17th century, but the eastern sector had little contact with the outside world until 1926 with the establishment of a Dutch colonial administrative post.
The eastern Kamoro were well known, however, to aggressive neighboring Asmat tribesmen who raided Kamoro villages, taking trophy heads back home to appease bloodthirsty spirits - until Dutch-trained police and modern firearms curbed raids. Today, the Kamoro still live along the Arafura coast with a foot in both traditional and modern worlds. Join author and award-winning photographer Kal Muller, who has lived many years among the Kamoro, to learn more about their rich land, history and customs, and increasingly respected woodcarvings.
Winter 2012 Evening Lecture Series flyer Download [pdf 329 KB]
For more information, see www.heritagejkt.org
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