The Multatuli Museum (Indonesian: Museum Multatuli) is a museum located in Rangkasbitung, Banten, Indonesia.[1][2] Its focus is the author Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker), who lived in the area in the 1850s and used it as the basis for his famous anti-colonial novel Max Havelaar. The museum also examines Dutch East Indies colonial history, the anti-colonial movement, and the local history of Rangkasbitung.[3] There is another Multatuli Museum in Amsterdam which houses many of the author's papers.
Museum Multatuli | |
 | |
| Location | Jalan Alun-Alun Timur No.8, Rangkasbitung, Banten, Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 6°21′38″S 106°14′50″E / 6.36064°S 106.24712°E |
| Type | museum |
| Website | http://museummultatuli.id/ |
History
editDiscussions about opening a Multatuli Museum in Rangkasbitung began in the 2010s, with the support of Bonnie Triyana, a historian with roots in the area, as well as teacher Ubaidilah Muchtar, architect Bambang Eryudhawan, and Tempo journalist Kurie Suditomo.[4][5][6] Multatuli, whose real name was Edward Douwes Dekker, was a Dutch colonial official who was Assistant Resident in Lebak for a brief period in 1856 before he clashed with his superiors and returned to Europe.[2][7] Some of the injustices of the colonial society that he witnessed there were portrayed in his famous novel Max Havelaar.
The museum was opened in February 2018; it is operated by Lebak Regency, the local district-level government.[4][2][8] It is located in a 1923 building off Rangkasbitung Square that had originally been the office of the Wedana (a type of colonial official).[7] Although the museum is not officially affiliated with the Multatuli Museum in Amsterdam, it did receive collection items from that museum in preparation for opening.[4][7] The museum attempts to incorporate the sensory experience of export products such as coffee to immerse the visitor in the nineteenth-century plantation economy portrayed by Multatuli, as well as examining colonial history and the publication of Multatuli's novel.[9] The museum also contains sculptures of Multatuli and characters from the novel by sculptor Dolorosa Sinaga.[4] In its inaugural year, the museum also hosted a cultural festival (Indonesian: Festival Seni Multatuli).[10] The museum was forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened in early 2022.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Museum Multatuli Rangkasbitung, Destinasi Wisata yang kaya akan Sejarah | Dinas Pariwisata Provinsi Banten". Dinas Pariwisata Provinsi Banten (in Indonesian). Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Kabupaten Lebak Gunakan Narasi Multatuli untuk Tarik Wisatawan". Tempo (in Indonesian). 7 September 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "10 Hal yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Museum Multatuli". Historia - Majalah Sejarah Populer Pertama di Indonesia (in Indonesian). 14 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d Oktaviani, Andra Nur (14 February 2018). "Museum Multatuli, Museum Antikolonialisme Pertama di Indonesia". JawaPos.com (in Indonesian).
- ^ Affan, Heyder (2 March 2017). "197 tahun Multatuli, museum antikolonial pertama di Rangkasbitung". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian).
- ^ Tampubolon, Hans David. "Bonnie Triyana: Learning about today's society from history". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Museum Multatuli di Lebak Banten Segera Diresmikan". Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi (in Indonesian). 7 February 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ Carito, Imam B. (23 February 2018). "Rangkasbitung, Museum Multatuli, dan Tuah 'Max Havelaar'". Detik News (in Indonesian).
- ^ a b Diah, Femi (11 January 2022). "Lebak Level 2, Museum Multatuli Buka Lagi". Detik News (in Indonesian).
- ^ Rifa'i, Bahtiar (5 September 2018). "Yuk ke Lebak! Ada Festival Seni Multatuli untuk Mengenal Sejarah Antikolonial". Detik (in Indonesian).