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Exhibition Reviews
Medical Students and Indonesian Independence
Museum of National Awakening (Museum Kebangkitan Nasional). Developed by: Body for the Development of Culture and Tourism, Department of Preservation and Development of Culture, Republic of Indonesia.Location: Former building of the STOVIA (School ter Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen; School for the Education of Native Physicians). Jalan Dr. Abdul Rachman Saleh 26, Jakarta 10410.
Permanent.
Visited 20 May 2007
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| In Indonesia, the history of medical education and the history of the nationalist movement are inextricably related. The Museum of National Awakening in central Jakarta commemorates and documents the founding, in 1908, of Budi Utomo (Beautiful Endeavour), the first Indonesian political party, and later part of the nationalist movement in the Dutch East Indies.1 This organisation aspired to elevate Javanese culture by stimulating its study and by making scholarships available to gifted students to pursue higher education. The instigator was Dr. Wahidin Sudiro Husodo, a retired physician who had been attempting to gather support for over twenty years. He had more success after he met Sutomo, at that point in time a medical student but later the organiser of the so-called study clubs, where intellectuals supporting the movement for independence met for discussion. Wahidin, Sutomo, and several other medical students at the STOVIA (School ter Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen; School for the Education of Native Physicians) started organising Budi Utomo (Beautiful Endeavour), which founded on the premises of the medical school on 20 May 1908. In Indonesia, this day is commemorated every year. The premises of the old medical school now house the Museum of National Awakening, which commemorates the pioneers of the nationalist movement among Indonesian medical students. This year, the centennial of the founding of Budi Utomo will be celebrated with a large symposium, organised by the Perhimpunan Sejarah Kedokteran Indonesia (PERSEKIN, the Indonesian Association of the History of Medicine). |
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Medical students and physicians remained active in the nationalist movement for the following four decades, leading a number of colonial officials to grumble that it was the young Indonesians who received the best education who came to oppose colonial rule. The involvement of physicians in the movement for independence was extraordinary. Several physicians became members of the Volksraad (Popular Council, the parliament of the Dutch East Indies). Others published newspapers in Malay, raising awareness of political issues and the nature of colonial society among Indonesians, and propagated alternate views to the official ones sanctioned by the Dutch colonial government. In 1928, medical students organized the Congress of Indonesian Youth, where representatives of all youth movements in the Dutch East Indies (Young Java, Young Sumatra, Islamic Youth, and many others) were represented. During this meeting they took the famous pledge to pursue 'One country, Indonesia; one people, Indonesian; and one language: Bahasa Indonesia.' The Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya, was sung for the first time there. |
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Entrance of the Museum of National Awakening.
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| The Museum of National Awakening commemorates the founding of Budi Utomo, the political activities of Indonesian physicians and medical students, the history of medical education in Indonesia, and initiatives to provide education to Indonesian women. The first gallery is devoted to the education of Indonesian women and commemorates the role of Kartini, a young woman of a Javanese aristocratic family and an advocate for educational opportunities for women at the turn of the twentieth century. The second gallery consists of extensive displays with photographs and paintings, detailing the early days of the STOVIA (unfortunately for non-Indonesians, the text is only in Bahasa Indonesia). Particular attention is given to Tirto Adi Suryo (who, under the name Minke, is the main character of the brilliant historical novels by Pramoedya Ananta Toer2), who published the first Indonesian newspaper in Malay in the 1910s; Dr. Cipto Mangukusomo, who was an influential leader of the nationalist movement; and to Dr. Sutomo. The many divisions among Indonesian nationalists (who included conservative Islamic scholars, communists, the Javanese elite, and those advocating independence) are glossed over in these exhibits. When then-president Suharto opened the museum in 1974, conflicts in the history of independent Indonesia were not highlighted publicly. After the fall of Suharto, more informative discussions about post-Independence history have commenced. The third gallery depicts life at the medical school. Students lived in a dormitory and spent on average ten years in each other's company. They organised cultural events, music evenings, and sports activities. A number of medical instruments used at the time, including a set of spatulas and an enormous x-ray machine, are also exhibited. The last gallery recreates the founding of Budi Utomo. Large mannequins display Sutomo, Dr. Wahidin, and a small group of medical students listening to their plans. A painting outside this room presents the reaction of the faculty at the medical school to the political activity of the students. The director, Dr. H. F. Roll, who, up to this day, is revered for his support of the nationalist movement, exhorts the others: 'Is there someone among you gathered here who would have more courage than Sutomo when you were eighteen years old?' |
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Courtyard of the Museum of National Awakening (and the former medical school). All photographs by the author.
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In a lifelike tableau, Sutomo listens while Dr. Wahidin speaks to a group of medical students during the founding meeting of Budi Utomo. The mixture of Western and indigenous (in this case Javanese) dress was common among the Indonesian medical students at the time.
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Compared to many modern Western museums, the Museum of National Awakening might appear somewhat old-fashioned. There are no interactive displays and there are no audio components to the exhibits. The first part of the exhibition contains texts explaining the history of the medical school; unfortunately, explanations are only given in Bahasa Indonesia. Clearly, the museum has been designed for an Indonesian audience and not for tourists. The greater part of the exhibition consists of pictures without much explanation. The medical instruments are displayed without labelling. It appears that the number of visitors is modest; school children visit the museum as part of their history lessons. The museum was created under Suharto to provide the history of the Indonesian Republic with a venerable past; in the current post-Suharto era, its political message hardly finds an audience. A number of older physicians visit, guided by the belief that the political activism of medical students in the past, who are often referred to as 'Indonesia's best generation,' could provide an example for today's doctors. |
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Because of the historical importance of the medical school and the political activities of its students and graduates, this museum has something very special to offer to the historian of colonial medicine. In colonial times, it was located in close proximity to a number of stately colonial buildings. Today, it is surrounded by sky-scrapers (hotels, multinational corporations, and government buildings) and immensely overwhelming traffic. This makes the museum a small and quiet oasis in a bustling city.
HANS POLS
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
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Notes
1. For Budi Utomo see Akira Nagazumi, The Dawn of Indonesian Nationalism: The Early Years of the Budi Utomo, 1908–1918 (Tokyo: Institute of Developing Economies, 1972).
2. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind [Bumi Manusia], trans. Max Lane, vol. 1, Buru Quartet (New York: Penguin, 1990 [1980]); Child of All Nations [Anak Semua Bangsa], trans. Max Lane, vol. 2, Buru Quartet (New York: Penguin, 1990 [1980]); Footsteps [Jejak Langkah], trans. Max Lane, vol. 3, Buru Quartet (New York: Penguin, 1990 [1985]); House of Glass [Rumah Kaca], trans. Max Lane, vol. 4, Buru Quartet (New York: Penguin, 1997 [1988]).
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