De Javasche Bank in Semarang

De Javasche Bank office on Bodjongsche Weg ( now Jalan Pemuda) on 1936 and a Five Gulden issued by De Javasche Bank on 1921 (Source: Tropenmuseum; catawiki  )

This November! There’s a statement issued by the Central Bank of Indonesia, that is Bank Indonesia (BI) to change the face value of Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), through redenomination. The central bank saw the value of IDR is too much considering from its nominal, and like it or not, IDR belong to one’s of the bad currencies in the world, so BI had a plan to simplified the face value, by divide it into 1000, so IDR 1000 will becoming IDR 1,  IDR 10.000 will becoming IDR 10, and so on. Well, I just imagine if this policy has been execute, I’ll buy the cigarettes in the store for only IDR 12 for a pack, haha, sounds weird for me. :D

De Javasche Bank office in Jalan Pemuda, currently used by Bank Jateng. 

Established in 1828, De Javasche Bank is a respond to the chaostic financial condition of Dutch-Indie government caused by the Java War, Lead by Pangeran Diponegoro, a Javanese aristocrat and religious leader from 1820-1825.  Millions gulden are spent for this war, to built the road, fortification, hiring both royal koninklijk army from the nederlands and the mercenaries from all parts of Indonesia. The Dutch-Indie government float a loan to fund this outside their income, that really unsignificance caused the war and all of the economic sector are concentrated in java island. That’s why De Javasche Bank established, is to maintained the loan.  There’s a unique characteristic in De Javasche Bank, where the commissioner are appointed only by the Governoor General, but the CEO are appointed by the shareholders. The Javasche Bank become  Naamlooze Venootschap (NV) or in English we rcognized it as limited liability company (Ltd) on 1881 through the commercial Code issued in Buitenzorg (Bogor).

After the independence of Indonesia, De Javasche bank still have a role as the central bank, since the newly born Indonesian Republic, haven’t the central bank yet. Through the Round Table Confrence, in The Hague, which is resulted the transfer of sovereignity from the Kingdom of Netherland into Indonesian Republic, there’s a point in the agreement to stated that the central bank is still hadled by De Javasche Bank until the government of Indonesian Republic have its own central bank. But in 1953, De Javasche Bank nationalized and still have a role as central bank, as we recognized nowadays as Bank Indonesia (BI).

De Javasche Bank, is the powerful bank and it can be seen from their asset. Just look in every major city in Indonesia, their office is must be luxurious, from Jogjakarta, Jakarta, Surabaya, even in Solo. But I just get confused why in Semarang, its not as luxurious as the others city? Well as we get the info from the colonial map dated 1920, De Javasche Bank office in Semarang located in Heerensrtrat, near Gereja Blenduk. But then when I saw the tropenmuseum collection, the office is located in front of Kantor Pos Besar on Bodjongsche Weg (central post office), but the photos is dated 1936. Its probable moved, from the old location in Hereenstrat to Bodjongsche weg. But now the Bank Indonesia office, is located in Imam Bardjo Street, near the central business district of Simpang Lima, so the office of central bank in Semarang is already moved three times if so.

De Javasche Bank office on Heerenstrat now Jalan Letjend Soeprapto (above) and the current condition of this building, now used as the office of Telkom Indonesia, a state owned telecommunication company (below).

Religion Tolerance a la Kudus City

Al Aqsa Mosque or people recognize it as Masjid Menara Kudus, in 1940
(source: Tropenmuseum)

Hello World!

Happy Iedul Adha all! Yesterday we celebrated one’s of the holy day of a moslem, the symbol of sacrifice and  togetherness. During Iedul Adha, one things is important, that is qurban (sacrifice) itself, which in the holy Koran, we recognize that phopret Ibrahim (Abraham) had a recurring dream, in which Allah SWT was commanding him to offer his son, Ismail (Ishmael) as a sacrifice. Ibrahim felt so confuse whether he want to obey the God orders, but there’s no father in the world who have his heart to sacrificing his dear son.  But later when Ibrahim asked Ismail about this, Ismail replied, “ Insha Allah (God willingness), you’ll find me to be patient, just do what the Allah asked to you father”. After all Ibrahim realize orders to sacrificing his son, he blindfold his eyes when he cut Ismail throat. When he cut Ishmael's throat and removed the blindfold, he was surprised when found  Ismail was unharmed and and still alive! But he found a dead sheep which was slaughtered. Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out Allah SWT order. Since that day, all the moslem who’ve been capable are have a duty to slaughter a cattle (cow, goat, sheep, camel, ram, buffalo) during Iedul Adha day, then later distributed to the poor people. That’s the origin of Iedul Adha, but I wanna share about the unique tradition in Kudus city, a city to the east of Semarang about this day.

The story teller, Hasan, experted
about the story about early Islam in Java

I got this story from my friends who comin’ from there named Hasan Anwar, he explain me about, why the Kudus people are forbidden to use cow as their qurban? Even not only on that celebration, we almost couldn’t find any soto, kind of Javanese soup, which using cow meat in Kudus, because they changed it with buffalo meat. So, whats the reason behind it?

Hasan, told me that its just because of Sunan Kudus, the pseudonym of Jaffar Shadiq, the early Islam missionary in Java who lived in Kudus, forbid the people to slaughtering cow, in order to respect the Hindu’s people, who at that time are the majority in Java island. One day, he received a cow coming from the merchant from India. The people are so curious when the cow is tethered in front of Sunan Kudus house. The hindu’s people want to know what will Sunan Kudus do, for the holy animal according to their belief. The number of people gathered increasing, both of the Hindu’s and Muslim’s, who want to  prevented, if any trouble happened to the Sunan Kudus. Then Sunan Kudus come out from his house and said, “Brothers and sisters! My beloved people, I’ll not do any danger to this cow, and I beg u not to hurt even slaughter the cow, because in my childhood this animal once saved my life, its nursing me when I was suffering due to really bad thirst. Even in our Koran, there’s a surah (chapter) using the name of this animal, called Al Baqarah (Baqarah: female cow). ”

Then the people are so excited with what the Sunan Kudus said. Its proof them about the high tolerance of moslem people. Even after that a lots of people converted to Islam, and Sunan Kudus according to the folkstale, received a granted, there’s a building from the local religious leader, where later he renovated it and nowadays become what we recognize as Masjid Menara Kudus.  Most of the building carried the Hindu’s architecture, dominated with the red bricks structure. Its always remind me about , the beauty of harmonism.

Well, until now, Kudus people still obeys the Sunan Kudus order not to slaughtering cow. Every Iedul Adha day, there’s no cow is slaughtered, only goat, sheep, and buffalo. Even Hasan’s added, “once there’s a kampong, break the rule, they slaughter the cow and later all of them were ill.” Believe it or not ;)    

Jazz with Javanese Taste, its Ngayogjazz!

Ngayogjazz 2011, Nandoer Jazz-ing Pakarti 

As the November comes, the most awaited jazz performance event, the Ngayogjazz, is finally ready “break the rule” of the common Jazz Festival! Its free and its so Javanese ;). With the tagline of, Dengan ngejazz kita Tingkatkan Swasembada Jazz (through the Jazz, we increased the self-supporting Jazz)  Ngayogjazz 2012 will be held on Sunday,November 18, 2012. This year it’ll be held on Desa Brayut, a village near in the outrkirt of Jogjakarta. Well, it takes me back to the memories of Ngayogjazz 2011 when it  was held in Pasar Kotagede, a traditional market encircled with the local kampong.

Our fellow "Aljabar Band" from Jazzngisoringin community,
one of the raising star in Semarang City nowadays.

Jazz music where always find its spontaneity, being interactive, expressive and friendly, and through the ngayogjazz  all of this aspect is fulfilled. The event itself its free of charge, accommodating the local performer, and has its own characteristic as Jazz in the Javanese land, not those from the west, that’s the main differences. In the Ngayogjazz 2011, I accompanied by my friends Wisda, Bagoes and Ikhsan also with my Russian friends, Sasha, depart from Semarang city on the noon, and arrived in the venues on maghreeb time, around 6 pm. Soon we experienced  the mystical and magical jazz spirit courtesy of Ngayogjazz 2011. A stage in the middle of kampong, a stage in the parking lot of traditional market, it’s a jazz fest but there’s a lot of tradional food seller with their gerobak(cart) on it, really unbelievable where the music that a lot of people see it as the identity of the high class society, then we could see it in the condition like this.

There’s 6 stages on Ngayogjazz 2011, but we choose the Horn Stage, because there’s a Jazzngisoringin, a jazz community from my city, Semarang, that performed. The stage itself situated in the yard inside the kampong, well this is a symbol that bringing jazz into the traditional people is not impossible at all. Feeling thirsty and hungry, we decided to pay a visit to a warung(tavern) a traditional food and beverages. There we meet another mates, mas dimas, mas aji and mas erje. They also coming from Semarang to enjoyed the event. As we take a rest in the kiosk, there’s another stage situated near it, so our conversation are accompanied by chilling jazzy music performed from the stage near us

All of my friends who accompany me enjoying this
Ngayogjazz 2011, thanx for the memories mates! ;)

We close our journey here, in the main stage. Enjoying the closing performance by Djaduk Ferianto, a famous ethnic music artist that also the founder of this event, Idang Rasjidi , the famous jazz pianist,  and Trie Utami, the famous jazz singer. Here we enjoyed the jazz mixed  with javanese traditional music resulting the amazing harmonious music. So guys, the November is  near, just prepare yourself to Ngayogjazz 2012! Its gonna be worthy and unforgettable, for sure ;)

Hotel Bellevue Semarang, A Recommended Place to Stay

Hotel Bellevue in 1948, the front side is no longer like its appears in the photos because now there's a cafe built in front of the hotel (source: sepatoeroesak.nl) 

Visiting Semarang city, everybody needs the comfortable place to stay precisssely. Well, I'll show you the recommended hotel in Semarang that everyone who stay there will not only just rest for a while, but also enjoying the old memories for those who lived in the colonial period, and an old time experience for those who was born after it.

Bellevue Hotel, or now recognized as
Hotel Candi Baru as it appears on 2007

Its, Candi Baru Hotel which provides a mix of original Dutch building with cold and calm atmosphere in the , Candi baru settlement. Its built after the boom of the hotel growth in Semarang, right after the Koloniale Tetoonsteling event, that increasing the number both of business growth and tourism in Semarang. So many new hotel built in the Nieuw Tjandi areas because in the colonial age, this area belongs to outskirt city area. But now its no longer anymore, its already a densely area, then it makes the area is too crowd as the resting place, and  the result? Many hotels are demolished. Thats why, we recognizing there's a kampoong named Candi Losmen, but of course now adays there's no losmen (hostel) anymore existed on that place.

Back to the Candi Baru Hotel, originally has a name as Bellevue Hotel until it changes in the early decades of 60's since Mr.President Soekarno, banned the used of foreign language as his efforts related to nationalism. Built by Van Damen Wars in 1919, and now owned by PT Sido Muncul, one's of the traditional herbal product company, the building is still well preserve and strong enough. Beautiful park scenery and artistic architectural, decorating with the statue of angels make its really attractive to everybody who stay there. The hotel rates itself are varied start from IDR 85,000 to IDR 500,000 per night. Well, for you who wanna coming to Semarang, its recommended to stay here :)

Inside the hotel, the dining hall, still preserved the old atmosphere. Hanging lamp, PC tile floor, chairs, tables, all inside the hall, perfect! (source: official website of Candi Baru Hotel)